


Shooting Star

by BunnyIsCute



Series: The Star Flower [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abduction, Bullying, Cheating, F/M, Illegitimacy, Implied Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Kidnapping, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Other, Past Relationship(s), Polyamory, Post Mpreg, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-10-23 00:46:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 59,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyIsCute/pseuds/BunnyIsCute
Summary: 11 years ago, the worst thing imaginable happened to a pregnant Harry Potter; attacked and his baby was ripped out from his stomach. He believes Draco Malfoy, his husband, to have done this crime. Draco gets sentenced to Azkaban for life. So what happened to the baby? Meet Aster Brooke Campbell. This is her story...Past Drarry! Past mpreg! Trauma! Bullying! Harry Potter AU!





	1. Chapter 1: A Very Not-So Magically Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! This is my first story on AO3 and I hope that you all enjoy it! It is a Harry Potter OC-centered story. I do have a Tumblr for this story that has A LOT more story and depth to it. Check out the Tumblr Blog @the-star-child-universe and @askdaddydraco for more info about the original characters and canon characters connections to each other.

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 1**

If there was one thing Aster hated, it was waiting. At the age of ten, the girl was sitting in some office, wearing what was a cute light pink dress and the type of shoes that were black and shiny and made clicking noises with each step. Though she would have loved to show off her dancing talents to the other people waiting in the lobby, she had been told to stay quiet and stay in her seat. So instead of dancing, Aster was tapping her nails along to the music that she had memorized in her head for years, a song she regularly danced to during practice.

"Aster," the girl looked up, her tapping stopping. The woman before was pale with bags under her eyes and without her usual makeup. She had what looked like slips of paper in her hand, her bag that was poorly sewed up patches of fabric tearing at the ends looking raggy. "Aster, come on now, our plane is boarding now," she said. Aster stood up and turned to grab her bunny and bookbag. Before she could even get the back on fully, the woman grabbed her by the hand and began pulling her along. Aster turned back for a moment, seeing if she forgot anything, and looked up to her mommy, "are we on vacation Mommy?"

"You can say that." The woman's caramel locks looked flat and greasy, making it look darker than normal. Aster had noticed the strange behavior of her mother lately, especially since the "ice rink" incident. This sudden trip was jarring, especially since the girl was forced awake by her mom and carried with just two bags of things. Aster could swear that they just suddenly appeared at the airport, but that was just because she was so tired. By the time they were boarding passengers, Aster had woken up fully.

"We're going to New York," she said to be optimistic. Aster's eyes flew open. "Really?! The for-real New York?! I wanna see the Statue of Liberty," Aster began jumping in excited me. The woman stopped and knelt, "Aster Brooke, what have I told you about your immature behavior?" She was firm and frustrated, and that was enough to make Aster deflated in excitement. "I'm ten years old now, I should know better," Aster repeated.

Lavender sighed, "you're almost eleven years old now," she said, looking at her daughter and cupping her cheek and smiled, "that's a special birthday."

"Why?" Aster asked, tilting her head and raised an eyebrow. Lavender smiled, laughing a bit, "you'll know soon enough," she said and got up, and retook Aster's hand and they soon boarded the plane.

From the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to the John F. Kennedy International airport, Aster deported with her mother. What would have been an ordinarily exciting moment turned sour when they met with some men in suits. The way they directly approach the two made Aster realized that there was no vacation.

"Lavender Campbell, we've been expecting you," one of the men said. Aster looked at her mom fearfully. Lavender only held a grim expression on her face but was soon taken away. One of the men came around and handcuffed her, pushing her forward. The other man looked down at the child, "don't worry, you'll see your mom soon, but you need to come with me," he said.

Aster quickly looked over at her mom, who only smiled, "it'll be okay Sissy, just do what they say, and they'll treat you good," she said as she was being taken away. The man grabbed the bags Lavender had left and soon took Aster's hand, pulling her in the opposite direction and exiting out of the airport.

* * *

A month, it had been a month since she had seen her mom and was in some fenced-in area with some other kids. The adults said to treat it like summer camp and to try to enjoy ourselves, but being away from our parents was not fun. Being in this situation was not fun at all. Some kids get filtered through the system, escorted by other adults, and some parents even came and picked their child up, but this was not camp. The older kids were mean, the young kids cried, and the ones in-between were doing both, but all of them were collectively scared.

It was May now, 2018, and more kids were placed in this room. They tried to keep the boys and girls separated, but that wasn't an option anymore. Aster was sitting on her cot when she looked over at the locked door. She wanted that door to be unlocked desperately. She wanted her mommy. Aster didn't know how long she had been staring at the door cage, but when it suddenly clicked on it's on, Aster blinked and got up, approaching it and the door soon pushed itself open. The guards at the gate looked in. "Who unlocked this door?" The guard stepped in. All of the kids seemed confused, and Aster looked scared. Aster would remember the darkness of the man's eyes, and the gun he held by his side along with the light brown camo pattern he wore, as though he was ready for battle.

Aster looked over and saw a group of other adults rounding the corners, but the woman who with them made her scream in sheer joy, "MOMMY!" Aster didn't think, she just began running, slipping by the guard and with open arms, Lavender held her child close to her. "Aster! My baby! Are you okay?!" The two women held each other in a tight hug. The guard looked flabbergasted, and as he stepped forward, another man blocked them, "Aster Brooke Campbell's release orders. She and her mother are going to England," the man said. Aster didn't care, as long as she was with her mother, she didn't care where she was going.

Within a day, she was on an airplane to the United Kingdom in Europe.

* * *

At Hogwarts, a quill began to float in the air, levitating to The Book of Admittance and started writing down the name Aster Brooke Campbell.

With that, a letter was soon written as well and sent out to the quiet countryside of Charles Town in England, where a young girl's life would receive the letter that would change her life.


	2. Chapter 2: The Letter

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 2**

Aster stepped out of the airport with her hand latched on tightly to Lavender's hand. Lavender could sense her fear and patted her head softly, "don't worry, it won't be like last time," she said, but it didn't ease the girl's worries. Lavender looked around, and when she saw a sign with her name on it, she smiled gleefully and took Aster toward the elderly couple. "Mother! Father!" Lavender said as she hugged the two people, having to let go of Aster's hand. The woman was nice, grey-haired with a slight bend in her posture, and the elderly man only a few inches taller but with a smile as well. "You must be Aster," the woman spoke warmth, looking over the girl. "My word, she's beautiful."

"Ya sure she's yours Lav?" The older man joked and the woman rolled her eyes, "yes she's mine dad."

"Well don't be shy Sweetheart, give me a hug!" The woman said. Aster had hesitated as she approached and hugged the woman. When the woman gasped suddenly, Aster was quick to let go and back away. "My! What a strong lass you have Lav!" The woman said.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Aster said, panicking a bit, but the elderly couple laughed in amusement. "We're just playing with you dear," the woman said. "With all the fancy potions out today, I feel like a spring chicken!" She jumped, clacking her heels together. The act alone made Aster very baffled. Was that normal?

"Mother, I've told you, Aster doesn't know yet," Lavender spoke with some warning.

"She doesn't know her own heritage? Well, she ought to know now! She'll be eleven years old soon right?" The man spoke. "She ought to know she's magical!"

"Father! Not now!" Lavender spoke, "let's just go home and get settled in for a bit," Lavender said, annoyance in her voice. The elderly man took the bags and nudged them toward the direction. Aster looked at her mom, "magical?"

"We'll talk about it later," Lavender said as the small family was heading toward what looked like a field of sorts. Aster was very confused as to why they were heading toward a field. When they reached the top of it and saw an old shoe, Lavender sighed and told Aster to secure their bags on her back. The four people soon gathered around, "okay Aster, hold on to the boot," Lavender said and kneeling on the ground. "Count down, 3…2…1…"

"ASTER HANG ON TO THE BOOT!" Aster reacted quickly, and soon they were flying off, being teleported. Aster screamed as she felt the force of the portkey and when the two seniors began to let go, Lavender yelled at her to do the same thing. Aster, let go, mostly because she couldn't hold on anymore, and soon was falling from the sky, landing with a big thud into a batch of hay.

Aster began trying to crawl her way out and soon fell off the pile and onto the ground with a flip of her body. Lavender laughed and helped her dizzy daughter stand up. "How was your first portkey transport?" Lavender asked as she helped Aster brush the dirt and hay off her child. Aster coughed a bit, getting some hay out of her mouth, "what was that just now Mommy?" Aster asked.

"A portkey, it helps us travel long distances, but it does have a limit," she said. Lavender put her hands on her hips, looking around the area, "man this place sure hasn't changed much." Aster looked around, seeing what looked like vast fields and things she only saw when they went to the country for the autumn season at home. "Where are we?" Aster asked, still brushing off some dirt off her.

"Charlestown," the old man spoke proudly, "over yonder you'll see the coastline," he pointed, "but that's where a lot of Muggles live, so we don't do that way much," he informed the child. Aster looked over at the man, "what's a muggle?"

"Lavender! What have you been teaching this child? How does she not know what a muggle is?" The older woman chided the woman. Lavender sighed, "I raised her all on my own in the No-maj world Mother, they were not many wizarding communities in the states."

"Honestly, Lav, I don't know why you wanted to live in America in the first place," the older woman spoke. "Mother, you know why," she didn't want to say anymore. "Well go get washed up, dinner should be done by now," the woman said and began walking inside what looked like an old shack.

"Are we staying in that old building Mom?" Aster asked worriedly.

"It looks better inside," Lavender laughed and as the adults headed inside, Aster stayed outside for a moment, looking around her surroundings. As she pivots on her shoes, the crunch of the dirt ground was easily heard. She could see bright green grass around her, and not much else. She looked down at her clothes, and as she was about to head inside, something dropped down in front of her. She stepped back and knelt down to examine it, only for something black to swipe by and snatch it up.

Aster looked over and saw a black cat, small, and in its mouth, the object that had dropped down in front of her. "Kitty!" Aster said as she approached, "here kitty! It's okay," she said as she wanted to get close to the cat. Surprisingly, unlike many feral cats, this one approached the girl, dropping the object and proceeded to get petting from the stranger.

Aster smiled, feeling as though she was chosen for something special. "Hi baby," she said, "what's your name?" She asked and sat down on the ground, and the cat curled up in her lap, purring contently. Aster wanted to scream in sheer joy! She loved animals, but it was when animals loved you back was when it was extra special! Like a connection was made! The girl had to get up though and saw the envelope.

_**To Miss A. Campbell** _

_**New Home** _

_**123 Cypress** _

_**Charlestown, Great Britain** _

Aster raised an eyebrow and ripped the letter envelop open, and began reading the letter.

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_ **

**_Headmistress: MINERVA MCGONAGALL_ **  
**_(Order of Merlin, First Class)_ **

**_Dear Ms. Campbell,_ **

**_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._ **

**_Yours sincerely,_ **

**_Filius Flitwick_ **

**_Deputy Headmaster_ **

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_ **

Aster's eyes widen and she went running toward the shack, "MOMMY! MOMMY, I GOT A LETTER!"


	3. Chapter 3: A Mother's Worry

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 3**

Lavender hasn't been happy since Aster came in with that letter. She had snatched the letter, read it, and looked at the girl. A lot was running through her mind as the caramel haired woman mentally debated with herself.

Should she allow her child to go to Hogwarts?

"Aster go wash your hands," she ordered and pointed in the direction of the bathroom. Aster backed away slowly and then eventually went to wash her hands.

Lavender sighed, going to the table and reading the letter, eyeing the word 'Campbell' as though it was morphing into a completely different word entirely.

"What's wrong dear?" Lavender's mother, Mildred, asked as she looked over her shoulder and saw the letter. The woman smiled, "Aster got her letter then? That's good. For a moment I thought she was a Squib," she said. Lavender sighed, "sometimes I wish she was."

"Why would you wish such a thing?" Mildred asked in disbelief.

"Being a Squib nowadays is easier. Technology in the muggle world is amazing. While in America I hardly had to use my magic at all," Lavender admitted with a laugh.

"Don't make her ashamed of being a witch Lavender! We never taught you such nonsense!" Lavender's father, Thomas, spoke. "And you were never ashamed of being a witch! Why hide that from her?!"

"I don't want to father. It's just...perhaps another school would be preferable then Hogwarts," Lavender said. There was an air of silence as the two seniors knew what she meant; the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Well, no place is safer! She can learn just as you did and be a fine young witch!" Mildred soft. "You did your school and the wizarding world great Lavender! A true Gryffindor! Your daughter should be proud of her heritage and her mother."

There was so much more they could never know. More than Aster should ever know. "My daughter," she said and felt her tears about to fall.

"Yes, Mommy?" Aster stood before her. Grey sparkly eyes that glistened in the light and blonde hair that possessed a soft wave in it. Lavender didn't see herself in Aster though. She just saw her child who she loved and raised since the moment she was born. "Aster...you can go to Hogwarts," she said. Aster smiled brightly and hugged her mom. Lavender hugged her back, hiding how her heart ached at the moment.

* * *

Going to Diagon Alley brought back flashbacks for Lavender, and amazement for Aster. Where Lavender could see the ghosts of her past when she was among classmates and gawked at the window stills of the latest caldrons and charms that had been displayed along with the more elegant robes she wished she could have worn at Hogwarts. Now, Lavender only saw the longing of wanting to keep her child close for longer than just the rest of the summer.

Aster's eyes widen at the building with the signs that poked out of the buildings. "Mommy, are all buildings in England so old?" Aster asked. Lavender shook her head, "well, only the ones in the wizarding world," she commented. As she thought she had her daughter's attention, Lavender continued to speak, "Now remember what I said, stay close to me Aster." She watched as Aster's attention was taken away and she looked at the window that was pink with fluffy cotton candy and lollipops in the display window. "Mommy! Look! It's a Candy store!" Aster pressed her face against the window childishly. "It all looks so good! I don't even think the candy store at the mall looks so yummy!"

Lavender's eyes twitched. "As-Ter!" Lavender shouted, enunciating her name in anger. "Do not leave my side!" She said. Aster frowned, "I'm sorry." The child spoke with guilt in her grey eyes. She soon asked, "but can we go in here?"

"No. Not until we have all of this shopping down," she said. "Now come on, let's get your school books first," Lavender said and led the girl away from the sweet shop and to the bookstore. The woman looked around and found a bookkeeper in the shop. Lavender chose a day that would be fewer students around so they can finish their shopping quickly and not in large crowds.

As Lavender spoke with the bookkeeper to get the needed books, Aster couldn't help but break away from Lavender's side and start looking around the bookshelves. Aster had been in libraries before and even in other bookstores, but she had never seen a bookstore with so many books that there were stacks of books taller than her 138.5 cm in height so when she bumped into it, cause the tower of books to fall, she apologized to it as though it was a person. "Oh gosh! I'm sorry!" She blinked and realized it was a stack of books, but soon Lavender went over and sighed, "Aster Brooke! Honestly! I can't keep my eyes off you for a second," she said and pulled out her wand, something she always carried but hidden from Aster's sight. Aster watched in amazement as the books were being stacked back up on their own, and Aster was amazed. "Wow ,Mommy! I didn't know you could do that!"

"Of course, I can, and soon you will be too," she said with a mild smile. Aster's eyes smiled, "really? I can do it?"

"Yes, but first, let's go buy these books that are breaking our bank account," she said as she referred to the shopping list. Lavender had struggled as a single mother as she couldn't just magically make money. She was a waitress for a lowly restaurant for many years, and even having to take odd jobs while in America. She never expressed her financial woes of an Aster had only known that she never needed for anything. If Lavender were honest, the only way she was able to afford all the necessities for Aster's school was because her parents had given her the money.

Aster followed her mother to the checkout counter, and as the girl poked her head over the counter, smiling at the clerk, the clerk merely kept her attention on the mother, ringing up her purchases with a fake smile that all part-time employees wore.

A loud cling-a-ling of the doorbell alerted Aster that someone else had walked into the store. She saw other children first. There was a girl, a little taller than Aster with red hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. She had freckles, much like the man next to her, and she wore a periwinkle shirt with khaki jeans. The younger boy hiding behind the red-haired man had bushy brown hair, but it looked soft like the cotton candy Aster had seen earlier. As Lavender got and purchased the books, she heard the door opening and saw a familiar face; Ron Weasley.

Ron looked over and stared at the woman before realizing it was Lavender. They had met eyes, and that meant they had to engage in polite conversation. "Lavender Brown? Is that you?" Ron asked.

The woman was flustered, but she also had to grin and bear it. "It's Campbell now. I married not long after Hogwarts," she corrected him. "But it's good to see you as well Ron Weasley. You're a face I haven't seen in a long time," she approached with the stack of books in her arms.

"Yeah well, ya know how life goes sometimes," he said awkwardly and cleared his throat. The girl next to him cleared her throat, and Lavender looked down, "and who is this young girl and boy with you?"

"Mind your manners," Ron said to the girl, "this is Rose, and this is my boy, Hugo."

"Such lovely kids," Lavender spoke and looked at her child, seeing how excited she was, "and this is my daughter, Aster."

Aster looked at the kids, seeing potential friends, before her and started talking, "oh hello! My name is Aster! It's so good to meet you! Are you going to Hogwarts? I'm going as well!" The excitement of the girl shown as she continuously got more and more excited.

Rose raised an eyebrow at the blonde, seeing an annoying kid who needed to calm down. "You talk funny," Rose said directly. Aster covered her mouth with one hand, feeling as though she had offended the girl. "I…do?" Aster hadn't realized. While she knew people in this country sounded strange, she never saw it as such since her mom had a similar accent. Aster had an American accent, and to some people, that was strange.

Rose received a smack to the head from that comment. "That was rude of you Rose, apologize," Ron said sternly, which Rose rolled her eyes, "Sorry," she said with annoyance in her tone, not seeing what she did wrong.

Ron laughed awkwardly, "Sorry about that. She's rather blunt with her words."

"Much like Hermione, I bet," Lavender commented.

Ron's face turned red. "Well, yes," he said. "Like her mother."

Lavender nodded and said, "well we better be going, we have some more errands to run."

"Wait, Lavender, I haven't seen you in a while. Maybe you and I and some of us old Gryffindors can go to the Pub sometime?" Ron offered.

Lavender shook her head, "sorry Ron…not anytime soon," she said and began leaving the door. Aster followed soon after, but she turned and courtesied, "it was nice to meet you, Mr. Ron," Aster said before running after her mother, who was hurrying quicker than her usual fast-pace steps.

Rose looked at her father, raising an eyebrow, "who was that?"

"Just an old friend from Hogwarts," he said with some fondness in his voice. The red-haired girl would take note of this, her brown eyes narrowing in distaste for the girl. Hugo didn't understand the subtext of the conversation, and so he didn't care.


	4. Chapter 4: Happy 11th Birthday Aster Campbell!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is the chapter where you get a glimpse of Harry Potter and his son James Potter. James Potter from the canon and this James are totally different characters! James is a blonde, grey-green eyed son of Harry and Draco Malfoy, so you can only imagine how a boy like that will be.

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 4**

It was August 30th Lavender was reading a story to Aster. While it was childish, Aster adored being read to, and Lavender loved reading to her. This particular book was Aster's favorite and as she snuggled to her mother's side. The girl was hugging her old stuffed bunny, whose fur matched the same color as her mother's hair color. The young girl had never felt more content since arriving in Great Britain.

Lavender was finishing up reading Aster's favorite bedtime story, "Guess How Much I Love You," by Sam McBratney. "And I love you the moon...and back," Lavender read and closed the book.

Aster had her eyes closed, a smile on her face, "read it again Mommy," she asked softly, her tiredness starting to show through. Lavender shook her head, "it's late, and you need to sleep." Lavender said lightly. Aster began grinning, giggling of sorts, "tomorrow is a special day, isn't it?" Aster asked.

Lavender pulled a face, one that was apparently confused, "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, playing a faux sense of obliviousness.

"Don't play with me Mom!" Aster said still laughing, "it'll be my birthday!" Aster said, reminding her. Lavender shook her head, a smiling creeping through her façade, "no I don't think so. It's no one's birthday unless they go to sleep right now," she said. Aster jumped a bit and snuggled into the pillow under her head, hugging the bunny close and was fake snoring. Lavender couldn't help but smile at her child's silly antics. She leaned down and pulled the blanket over her, "close your eyes and keep them closed," she said in a loving whisper and kissed Aster's forehead. "Night-night Mommy," Aster said, still keeping her eyes closed. "Night-night Aster," Lavender whispered and soon left the small room. It was an old guest room that had was being warmed by a crystal that emitted a warm throughout the room, but Lavender only saw it as a temporary spot for sleeping. While not perfect, Aster didn't complain about how small the room was. She just saw ways to make it better. Lavender thought about as she looked around the room and saw how old and creaking it was compared to the small comfort of blankets Aster was used to sleeping with.

Lavender closed the door once she did, she headed to the dining room, where her parents waited for her. "You still tuck that girl in bed? I thought she was nearly eleven," the old man spoke crudely. Last time Lavender had seen him, he had hair on his head, but the years had not been kind to anyone it seems. Her mother seemed to have cut her hair short, and dome like that it was as if she was hiding a pumpkin under her wig and Lavender herself had aged barely, and it showed in moments where she could finally drop her smile.

"It's just something we do to bond together dad," Lavender said in a lower tone of voice than her usual upbeat cadence. Lavender was no longer hiding her exhaustion now that Aster was asleep. Along with the sheer exhaustion of the recent few months of relocating, job hunting, and caring for her condition, Aster was always at the time of her priority list. Her daughter's wellbeing and happiness came first, and she never once let her child see the cracks in her being. "she's all that I have, and, in a few days, Aster will be at Hogwarts," there was obvious distress in her voice as she spoke about Hogwarts.

The old man scoffed at his daughter's worry, "You're acting as you'll never see her again," Thomas spoke. "You'll see her at Christmas! And then the Easter Holiday and Summer soon after that!"

"Now Thomas, don't you remember how hard it was when Lav had to leave for Hogwarts? I cried for days!" Mildred said as she got up and hugged her daughter. A mother was still a mother no matter how old the child was after all.

Thomas crossed his arms, "you never did tell us anything about her! That you were even married, let alone have a daughter! That's something us grandparents need to know!" Thomas added.

Lavender wiped her eyes, and Mildred stopped hugging her, "it's more complicated than you two know," she said as she tightened her fists in pained remembrance. "We only had a short time together, and before I knew it, I had Aster to think of," she said.

"Who was this man? Campbell was his surname, right? What about his first?"

Lavender closed her eyes, and a smile crept on her face, "his name was Delbert. Delbert Campbell. I remember his thick country accent. Such a charmer, even when cancer hit him," she opened her eyes, and there was a pain in those brown orbs. "Sometimes when I see Aster, I think of him."

"Was he a wizard at least?" Thomas asked.

Lavender rolled her eyes at her father's racism, "yes Daddy. He was. We actually met in one of the few Wizard-Friendly places in Virginia," she said. She pulled out her wallet and showed a photo of a black-haired man with a plump frame and a cowboy hat. In the photo, the two were hugging closely to each other, "I think about him constantly, and I miss him every day."

The two grandparents looked at the photo, and then at each other. "This is Aster's father?" Mildred was the one to ask that question as if doubting it. Lavender felt offended, "Aster just happens to take after our side of the family! Are you questioning my child legacy?" Lavender was angry, and she felt offended, as though someone called her the worst slur imaginable. "How dare you?!"

"It's just...could there be someone else Lav? We won't judge!" Thomas said.

"NO! Delbert is Aster's father! I don't want this brought up ever again! Do you understand?" Lavender said, and the two seniors nodded. "Good. Never mention this to her either. Aster is too young to understand this," she said. "Excuse me, I have to go take care of her birthday present," she said and went to leave the house for a bit.

Thomas and Mildred looked at each other, both thinking the same thing: The was no way that the man in the photo was Aster's father.

* * *

Aster wasn't aware of the morning until she heard a cat's meow in her dreams. Though as she began waking up more and more, she opened her eyes to see a black cat kneading her paws beside her face and a loud purr emitting from the feline.

The blonde girl sat up, seeing the cat looking at her and gave a chatter as if saying "about time you woke up." Aster saw the new pink collar around her neck and the tags that showed she was vaccinated and properly vetted. Aster squealed and hugged the cat, though not too tightly, "Aww! You're beautiful!" Aster exclaimed and held the cat up to see her at her eye level. "You're perfect! Or should I saw, purr-fect," she grinned widely at the pun and hugged the cat again.

"Happy Birthday," Aster looked over and saw her mother with bags of a few good presents. Aster let the cat down and went over to hug her mother, "Mommy! You shouldn't have!"

"Well I wouldn't let my girl go to Hogwarts without a companion," she said. "I've seen this one around the house, and after a few days of getting her used to life indoors and cleaned up, I knew she was the one for you, so she's been vetted up and ready for Hogwarts and her new owner!" Lavender said. "Now hurry up and get dressed in your new clothes. We still have to make one last stop before you head to school tomorrow," Lavender said.

Aster nodded and began opening her bags and her smile widen so much her entire row of teeth were showing. She soon got out of nightgown and put on the jean overalls and the light-yellow shirt underneath it. She even got new tennis shoes. Aster put the clothes on and headed for the kitchen with the cat behind her.

Aster poses for some photos; her grandparents wanted some pictures of their granddaughter after all, and Aster did some poses with her new kitty. For breakfast, Aster got her favorite; French toast sticks with powder sugar. Once she was done eating, Lavender fixed up her hair with a bandana to help pull her bangs back. It also made her resemble her mother, and Aster felt so proud to resemble her. "Such a cute girl," Lavender said as she looked at the mirror that she had used to fix up Aster's hair. "Oh, and you're there too," Lavender played, and when Aster began to pout, Lavender started to tickle Aster relentless. Her child's laugh was music to her ears.

Lavender cherished each moment she had with her child and Aster loved every moment with her mommy.

* * *

The two went down Diagon Alley one last time. Aster no longer distracted by the first-time reactions, but this was especially busy since some parents were doing last-minute shopping for tomorrow's Hogwarts train. Another factor was that it was dark and raining, and they needed to hurry to the shop. Aster was wearing a dark blue zip-up hoodie while Lavender held her wand out, using it as an acting umbrella to protect herself and Aster from the rain.

Aster and Lavender rushed into Ollivander's Wand Shop, and there were a few sets of parents and kids as well, all trying out new wands. Lavender moved Aster out of the way when one of the books came flying at them. "Not the wand for you son," Ollivander said as he took it from the boy.

One man stood out. Stocky with a long dirty blonde beard and almond shaped eyes. His soon looked similar to him, but he sported red hair, like the woman next to him. "Hello there! You must be in here like us! First time Hogwarts parents!" The man laughed.

Aster giggled a bit at the man's funny accent. It was Irish! "Da name's Aeswyn Horne, but folks call me Pat!" He said as he offered his hand to Lavender, who laughed nervously and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Pat." Lavender reached down and lowered Aster's hood, sighing as her daughter's hair was all frizzy now from the humidity and rain.

"I'm Betty, and this is our boy Aeswyn," she said and pushed her son forward. "You can call me Ace," he said. Aster's smiled widely and began shaking his hand, "I'm Aster! It's a pleasure to meet ya Ace!"

Pat mused a bit in Aster's accent. "An American accent? Don't exactly hear that around these parts. Honestly, I thought we would be the only foreigners, but I'm glad Ace isn't alone," Pat said.

"Oh yes, we're from America," Lavender said. Since her time in America, her accent had changed as well, giving her a unique blend of British and American accents.

"Don't they have fancy schools like Hogwarts in America?" Betty asked in astonishment. "My word you both traveled so far!"

"We're staying with family, so it's not that much trouble at all," Lavender assured. It was just as she looked over and saw from the corner of her eyed a person, she has a hard time trying to make out. She tried to figure out what the silhouette with the fog and rain outside.

Aster let go and turned to the man behind the counter. "Can I help you Young Miss?" The girl's smile was unyielding as she began to speak, "It's my birthday! Mommy's getting me a wand today!" Aster stayed proudly.

"Well Happy Birthday Young Lady! My word you have a special birthday with it being so close to going to Hogwarts."

"My Birthday is tomorrow on the first! I'll be twelve," Ace said as he overheard that fact. "How old are you?" He asked with hands on his hips, looking down at the girl, who was a good few inches shorter than him.

"Eleven!" Aster proclaimed proudly.

"Wait? Why is she only eleven but I'm twelve years old going into my first year?" He asked in shock.

"The cutoff date for admittance is in September first," the shop owner said, "I've seen plenty of students and knowing the Hogwarts schedule is mandatory in my line of work," he explained to the muggle parents. "You have to be eleven years old by August thirty-first."

"So, I'm the oldest in my class while she's the youngest?" Ace asked with a huff.

"That's so cool!" Aster said. "I'm always the youngest in my class so keeping that record is so cool!"

"So, about the wand?" Lavender broke this conversation as she and Aster needed to hurry along, she kept her eye outside, seeing a few figures moving at a distance, but heading in the shop's direction.

The man nodded as went to the back to fetch some wands for the girl and boy to try.

"I found a wand Dad!" The girl said as she was able to produce a small glimmer of light. As Aster was about to approach and introduce herself, Lavender kept her at bay and said, "we need to get a wand and leave. Or do you not wanna see your new kitty so soon?" Aster kept her mouth shut. She could sense the urgency in her mother's voice. Wasn't the kitty safe and okay while they were out?

Ollivander had a few boxes and said, "try this one son, it has a Phoenix tail feather in it," he said and then looked over at Aster, "and this one is a Cherry tree with a unicorn tail," he said. Aster picked up the wand, and in a quick wave, she made herself fly back and smacked on the door. Lavender snatched it away from Aster, "next one please!"

"My, my, someone is impatient," he said. "Don't you remember when you got your first wand, Miss Brown?" He said, remember her. Aster got up and cracked her back, "Miss Brown?"

A light-red color came to her cheeks as she was addressed as 'Miss Brown.' Aster tilted her head in confusion, this being the first time she had ever heard her mom ever being called by 'Brown.'

"Brown in my Maiden name Mr. Ollivander," Lavender corrected him but also informed Aster so she wouldn't ask questions. "It's Mrs. Campbell now," she stated. As Aster tried out the second wand, Ace found his on the fifth try. "Woot! This one is awesome!" He said as he produced a similar glimmer that the nameless girl did. Aster tried the second wand, an Oak with Phoenix tail feather, and as she couldn't get the thing to work, she accidentally zapped her mother with it. "Gah! Sorry, Mommy!" Aster said and put the wand down.

The man thought for a moment and pick out a box on the self, and wondered, "this may be too powerful, but the best wands usually do powerful magic," he said and gave her a wand with a red tint.

As the blond began to feel a sudden rush of magic, Aster felt the connection with this wand. There was a connection as Aster waved her wand and the glimmer shined bright golden and around her body. Everyone watched as Aster's wand chose her.

"Interesting. Such a small child with a powerful core," he mused. "Redwood with a Dragon heartstring core," he mused to himself. "Redwood wands her high in value as well, many witches and wizards seek them out, but I'm always low in stock," Ollivander mused to himself.

Lavender looked out the window and saw two shadowed figured at the window. Her heart raced as she slammed the coins on the counter, "Keep the change! We gotta go!" Lavender soon took Aster's hood and raised it up, covering her hair and hurried out of the store. "Mommy! Why are we leaving so fast!"

Not a moment later, Harry Potter walked in the store with a blonde-haired boy behind him, "long time no see Ollivander," Harry said. Harry had changed over the years as well. Facial hair like a beard covered his chin and reached up to his sideburns, and his hair was so long it needed to be contained with a few hair bands and made into a man bun. The boy beside him had hair sleeked back, much as a certain Malfoy boy did in his young with grey-green eyes and a similar face to his as well.

"Why it's the famous Harry Potter!" Ollivander said with happiness, "so good to see you again, but why, may I ask are, you here?" He asked.

"My son broke his wand, and we need a new one," Harry explained in disdain and James crossed his arms over his chest. "He thought he would be funny and try doing spells in the mirror."

"I did not! I'm telling you it just fell on the floor and broke!" He exasperated. "You never believe me."

"James, not now," he sighed, and they soon began looking for a new wand for James.

The families had left after making their purchases, not knowing who Harry Potter was and didn't think to ask. So, Harry was wasting a day getting James a new wand. James looked over and saw how jittery Harry was. "Nervous about something old man?" James asked with a snarky attitude.

"Watch it, James," Harry warned. "You're on thin ice as it is, does not make me ground you," He said.

"Well I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow so whatever," he said

"Your attitude is grinding on the nerves, James. And if you think Hogwarts is enough to prevent a grounding, well you're going to get a massive wake-up call tomorrow," he said. James ignored the comment and as soon as the man came back, the blonde twelve-year-old started to try out new wands.

* * *

"Thank you for the great birthday, Mommy," Aster said as she was getting ready for bed. Lavender sat on the bed, petting the purring kitty, "you're very welcome my Little Star," She said and asked, "so why did you choose the name Wednesday for the cat again?"

"The day I met her outside. It on a Wednesday," Aster said as she adjusted her suitcase so it hard her new clothes in it, "but also after the Wednesday Addams Character from the movies." She said. "Ya know!" Aster said and began to sing, "They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky. The Addams Family," she snapped her fingers twice like in the theme song.

Lavender smiled fondly, "it'll be Halloween soon enough." She said, "and you'll be in Hogwarts."

"So why do I gotta back all these clothes anyway? Won't I be coming back soon enough?" Aster asked as she sat on her suitcase to close it shut.

Lavender took a deep breathe, "Hogwarts is a boarding school. Kids stay there for a while and don't come back until holiday break," she said. Aster's smile died down, not liking the idea of being away from her mom. Sometimes she still remembered that awful cage-like room in New York.

"Do I have to go?" Aster asked, feeling fearful, "can't you come with me or maybe I can go to a normal school?"

"It's too late kiddo," Lavender said, "you're already registered at Hogwarts," she said, not liking it anymore then she did. Aster lowered her head, and as her breathing hitched, Lavender knew she was about to start crying. She pulled her daughter in close, hugging her, "Hey now, don't cry. We can still be in constant contact, and you will have an amazing time making new friends and learning magic," the caramel-haired woman said and pulled Aster away for a moment to wipe her tears. "You know I will always love you and send you the best goodies," She informed Aster.

"It's not like that place before, right?" Aster asked. Aster sometimes had nightmares about that detainment center. Being locked in with a bunch of other sad kids and feeling very scared. Aster looked over and saw Wednesday, and the girl picked her up, hugging her, "and now you have Wednesday to help when you feel lonely," she said.

Aster nodded and put Wednesday down when the cat didn't want to be hugged anymore and hugged her mom again. Lavender hugged Aster back, "if you ever miss me, you can always hug Serena and think of me," she said. Serena was Aster's stuffed bunny's name, the rabbit that was current at the head of Aster's bed. Aster nodded again.

Lavender hugged Aster close. "Whose girl are you?" She asked.

"Mommy's!" Aster proclaimed in a very childish manner.

"And no one else's, right?" Lavender asked.

"Nope. I'm Mommy's girl!" Aster said. Lavender smiled and said, "good, cause I'm the only mommy you'll ever have," she said. Lavender pulled Aster away and saw the girl yawn a bit. It was getting late and tomorrow was an early morning.


	5. Chapter 5: On the Hogwarts Express!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster is on her way to Hogwarts! Who will she befriend on the train?

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 5**

Lavender and Aster were hurrying to the station. Loading up the cart was the easy part, but after a late start, they had to run. Aster was pushing the cart with her things, and after a running start, she jumped up, riding the cart for a few moments before she landed of her feet and continued running. The girl was nervous but excited to attend Hogwarts, but she still wasn't as enthusiastic as other students.

The girl skidded to a halt when Lavender stopped and expected the area for anyone looking. She hurried to Aster and said, "okay we are going to run through the barrier together," she said and got herself behind Aster, holding the girl by her shoulder with one hand and the cart with the other. "Wait, what?! But mom is a brick wall!"

"No, it's not. Ready?! 1, 2, 3," She said, and the two went charging in the barrier, crossing over through the wall. The first thing that caught Aster's eyes was the Hogwarts Express. The train was giant with black and red paint. The crowd of people all trying to board on the train. "Okay Aster let's get you boarded," she said as she picked up the pink carrier that contained Wednesday in it, her meows able to be heard but had to ignore at the moment. Aster began loading up, putting her black book bag with the keychain of the letter A on it. Lavender grabbed the suitcase, and once that was, they started loading on the train with someone taking the large bag. With one last bear hug from her Mommy, Lavender helped Aster onto the train.

There was so much going on that Aster didn't know how to process it until she found a cart to breathe in. As other kids boarded on the train, Aster realized that she would be gone, separated from her mother again. She looked out the window and saw her mom, waving at her goodbye. Aster began shaking back, and so did other kids. Aster was soon caught off guard when the train started moving. She sat down and soon enough, she was on her way to Hogwarts.

Aster wouldn't cry though, she had promised her mom she wouldn't. She was brave as a Gryffindor! Wasn't she? No. She didn't exactly feel brave. She felt scared and sad.

"Excuse us," some kids came in. "Sorry! Everywhere else is full!" A boy spoke and sat down, and two girls sat down as well. One girl had inky black hair that was cut down to her chin, and he had pale skin as well. So pale that Aster could swear she could see blue veins clearly on her. The other girl had hair that was braided and pinned in a swirl on the back of her head and held tightly by a bow. Her hair was brown, and she had an olive skin tone with thick square-rimmed glasses on her face. The boy had glasses as well with brown hair as well, but his head was square.

"Hello! Are you a first year as well?" The guy asked.

"Yes, I am. My name Vivien," the inky-haired girl, said with a posed posture.

"I'm Lottie," the last girl spoke. She already had a few books out to read, but Aster knew those authors and books. They were muggle books.

Aster nodded. "Hiya! It's nice to meet you! I'm Aster," she said.

"Your name is Asher?" He asked, his voice sounded off, as though he was holding his tongue back and had never heard his own voice anymore.

"No! As! Ter!" Aster enunciated for him. She didn't know why he sounded that strange, but a moment of realization clicked when she saw the devices in his ears. When Aster was younger, she had been admitted into a preschool for special needs students, and she was in a class with other students who needed to learn how to talk; one of those students had hearing aids like the boy in front of her did.

"Sorry, I'm deaf," he said as he made the hand signs. "My name is Sam," he signed and spoke. Aster unconsciously began moving her hands in a similar matter, introducing herself in sign language, a skill she had picked up as a child. This amazed Sam, and he smiled and signed back.

The two stopped when they realized the other girls couldn't follow along, they smiled sheepishly at each other. Vivien cleared her throat, making her voice go higher in tone than usual, as though she was trying to sound more feminine. "So what house do you hope to get in?" Vivien asked.

Aster, Lottie, and Sam looked confused.

"House?" Lottie asked.

"You know, your Hogwarts House? Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," she explained.

"Oh...well which one is better?" Lottie asked curiously.

Before Vivien could answer, cat hissing could soon be heard. Vivien was her cat who was in her carrier hushing as the other cat, and vice versa. Aster was surprised and slide Wednesday's carrier under the seat and laughed a bit, as did Vivien. "I see you have a cat as well," Vivien said.

"Yeah! Her name is Wednesday," she said. "What about your cat?"

"Olive," Vivien replied. The cat had a muted color scheme of grey and pale orange with white paws and white fur under the cat's chin and led down her neck, chest, and belly. The cat also had also wrong with her left eye as it was nearly crushed shut. "She's kinda old, I know, but she's a good girl," Vivien said.

"Aww! She's cute," Aster smiled. "I got officially got Wednesday yesterday since it was my birthday," she mentioned.

"Your Birthday was yesterday? Wow Happy Birthday!" Lottie said.

"Thank you," Aster said. As Lottie was pulling out a random book off the pile, Aster looked out the window and saw the beautiful countryside with green fields so vibrant that it didn't seem real, but it was still fascinating to gaze at, like a painting.

Soon, the trolley lady came with a cart full of treats. Aster's eyes widen as she was hungry. She hadn't eaten breakfast since they were running late. Aster pulled out her change purse from her pocket, and while she had some change, she didn't think it was enough (then again, the conversation rate for her was challenging to work out since she's from US dollars to British Euro money). Vivien smiled and said, "I have plenty, don't worry," she said and stood up and began buying some treats for all four of them.

Once the array of sweets was purchased, they all examined the unusual treats. The first thing Aster grabbed was the chocolate frog, but the moment it started to move on its own, Aster had paled in disgusted. Lottie had gone for the beans and tried a green bean and spat it out. "Why did it taste like booger's?"

Sam turned to Lottie, "how do you know what booger's taste like?" Lottie's eyes widen, and her cheeks turned red. Vivien laughed amusing at their reactions. "Are you all Muggleborns?" Vivien asked.

"What's a Muggleborn?" Aster asked.

"It means no wizarding parents," Vivien answered.

"Oh. Well then no! My mom is a witch," Aster answered and reached for a lollipop, unwrapping it and began licking it. Lottie nodded, "my mom is not a witch," Lottie answered. Sam nodded, "Me neither. My family is filled with normies," he said. "Really dumb ones really. Like, my family is cool, but not so smart."

"You know, come to think of it, I think there was something about more muggleborns then there were half-bloods or purebloods," Vivien said. Aster didn't really understand what that meant, so she shrugged and continued to eat her candy. Lottie and Sam felt as though they would be judged for something they couldn't control and now felt awkward.

Suddenly, another guy came to the door, leaning in and asked, "have you guys seen a rat? A boy turned his cat into a rat, and now it's running around," he asked.

Aster looked over and proclaimed, "Ace!" She shouted. "Join us!"

He thought for a moment and shrugged, "Okay why not?" Ace walked in and closed the door, and looked down, seeing the candy on the ground, "Wow. What kind of haul did you guys do?"

"Not us," Sam said. "Hers," Sam pointed to Vivien the girl shrugged and said, "you want some. Go ahead," she said. Ace nodded and grabbed a large box of beans, and as Lottie was trying to warn him about the flavors, he had already eaten a handful of beans and immediately regretted the decision. He began to gag, and he threw up in a plastic bag.

"Dia maith! tá sin disgusting!" Ace coughed and reached down for the bottle of butterbeer. Everyone started laughing, and he sat down.

Aster smiled and reached down for the other bottle of butterbeer, and they all merely talked and got to know each other. If this was her group of friends at Hogwarts, she was excited for what was coming next.

"Oh and Ace, Happy Birthday!" Aster proclaimed loudly. Aeswyn was actually surprised by that. "You remembered?" Ace asked, nearly flabbergasted. Aster nodded, "well duh, you told me yesterday. So, I remembered it!"

"Seems like all my birthdays for the next seven years will be on this Hogwarts Train," He in defeat. "Well if you wanna have a birthday party, you can have it on my birthday! We can totally share and be birthday buds!" She said in excitement. "Two birthdays for the price of one!"

Ace shook his head, "you must be high off that sugar."

"And Birthday cake! I think I still have some in my luggage so tonight we have had some!" Aster said.

A knock on the door and everyone turned to see a man with a scar on his forehead and a thick beard and man bun on his head, "first years, get dressed, we're near Hogwarts," he ordered firmly, looking down at the group of five. Everyone noticed his long black trench coat, his fingerless gloves and his red protruding scar that looked like it was in pain, but Aster was the only one who saw the hatred in his green eyes.


	6. Chapter 6: The Sorting Ceremony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone, and welcome to another chapter of Shooting Star.
> 
> Disclaimer, I had to take some elements from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone such as the Hat Song and the element of getting to Hogwarts as a first year since it's very particular.
> 
> I also wanna give out shoutouts to my friends from Tumblr who follow my story's Tumblr the-star-child-universe and askdaddydraco who are reading this story right now! You guys are awesome and I love you!
> 
> With that said, I do not own Harry Potter

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 6**

As they boarded off the train, now in their Hogwarts Uniforms, Aster has looked around at the new sites. "Firs' years! Over here!" Aster turned and saw a large burly man with gray in his beard and all over his hair. He held up a lantern and was calling all the first years once more. All the first years followed the man.

As Aster was trying to move through the students, she was knocked over by a boy in passing. She looked up and saw the kid with blonde hair and grey-green eyes. "Move it Spazz," he said and headed out with the other years. Aster had gotten a glimpse of the slick green coloring on his Hogwarts robes. She moved to get up, only to be knocked down again, "get out of the way!" It was a girl with red-haired, but she was heading in the same direction as the first years. Vivien looked over and saw Aster in the ground and went over, helping her up, "Are you okay?" She asked.

Aster looked her palms of her hands, seeing some skin scrapped but not bleeding or another. "I'm fine. Just some jerk pushed me is all," she said, and the two girls headed to the ships with the other first years.

The half-giant known as Hagrid soon led the students, helping some into the boats. When Aster and Vivien soon joined, one of the last two to get on a boat of four, the other two passengers being Samuel and Lottie. Hagrid stopped her, "hello young lass, you Okay? I saw you fell over there," he asked.

The blonde girl nodded, "yes sir, I'm okay," she said, and the man nodded, "Okay then, move along," he said, and as Vivien got in the boat first, Aster turned to the large man, "thank you for asking sir," she smiled and got in, the boat soon pushing off and sailed toward Hogwarts Castle.

As the boats moved gently across the way, Aster watched the ripples of the boat as it moved on its own. It was smooth, like a blade gliding on a clean sheet of ice. It made her want to see what the waters here looked like if they completely have frozen over. She could imagine herself dancing across the lake like a fairy with her ice skates. A reflection on the water's surface made Aster break away from her imagination and look up at the sky. A soft but audible gasp escaped her lips, and she reached over and began shaking Vivien, pointing to the sky.

"Look! A shooting star!" The two girls looked up at the sky, but before that could see the trail of light, they got a large splash of water directed at them, causing the occupations in the body to get wet. Aster and Vivien soon looked over and saw a girl with fiery red hair in loose ringlet curls, and as thick as a lion's mane. "Sorry! I thought you guys needed to get to wake up and they say splashing water in someone's face is a good way to do it," she said as she put her wand away, her laugh sounded like a cackle.

Aster glared a bit, noting liking her attitude, and she wasn't the only one. Vivien was rather spiteful at the moment, and the girl looked like she wanted to say something, but she had restrained herself. Aster put her hand around Vivien's shoulder, "ignore her. It's attention she wants," Aster said, and they soon came into view of the giant castle. "Is that really the school?" Aster asked with wonder.

"Yep," Vivien answered her. "It's really amazing seeing it in real life!" They all soon fell silent as they made their way closer to the cliff on which Hogwarts was rested upon. Aster wanted to drink in all the sights she possibly could, and it was a shame she didn't have a cellphone. Her mom has taken, saying that technology at Hogwarts was not allowed and very dangerous.

"Heads down!" Hagrid shouted, and they all lowered their heads when they saw the hanging ivy plants. The boats all lined up, and soon students were able to get off. They were carried along with a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right under the castle until they reached a kind of underground Harbor, where they clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles.

Aster, Vivien, Sam, and Lottie all got off of their boat, and they followed the rest of the first years up to the giant stone staircase. "Everyone one here?" Hagrid asked as she made his way to the front of the students. Once he was at the large doors, he knocked three times, the sound echoing.

When the door opened, Aster could see much of anything being so far in the back. She jumped a few times, but she couldn't see anything back the person's head. Vivien, in a similar matter, was trying to peek as well, but with them being so in the back, they couldn't even see the Professor.

The gaggle of students soon began moving, and they followed the crowd into what was a small room a hall, but it was enough to hold the lot. A little man soon stood up on a stool that grew seamlessly, this making him tower all of the children. "Hello, there children! For those of you who couldn't see me before, I am Professor Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster and head of Ravenclaw house!"

Aster was bewildered by all the adults in al such sizes. She had never met an adult shorter than her before. She had some small people on TV and even infants and younger children, but never a teacher so little that he had to use a stool to address all the students. Some of the kids began to snicker at the little wizard's size, but it seemed like the man was used to such things and only continued, "The Start-of-Term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a significant ceremony because, while you are here, your houses will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

Aster looked a little nervous. She had just met some cool friends, and she didn't want to be separated from them if they were in different houses. Surely, they could still be friends even in separate houses, right?

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Raven claw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history- YOU TWO IN THE BACK! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"

Aster felt her heart stop as the Ravenclaw Professor yelled. Students moved out of the way, only at Lottie and Sam, and that was when Sam stood up and said, "my e-rang aids stopped wu-king," he said as clearly as he could, but it came off as yelling, mostly because he didn't know the volume of his own voice. The Professor pulled him over and looked at the devices, his eyes bulging out a bit in astonishment. "Well after the sorting ceremony, come with me," he said, but Sam only exclaimed "what!" Really loudly. Aster headed to the front of the line, excusing herself constantly as she made her way up and said, "I'm sorry sir, but I know some sign language, maybe I can help," she volunteered.

"Sure, go ahead and translate for him," Flitwick said.

Aster moves her hands but also spoke, "he'll help you after the ceremony with your hearing," she said.

Sam nodded, and the two went back in line. The Professor cleared his throat and resumed what he was saying about the how the house tournament worked, all of which Aster had to try to translate for Sam, but she couldn't do it properly. After all, she didn't know was the sign for "sorting ceremony" was.

They were soon told to get in a line, and all the students lined up. Somewhere in Sam was behind Aster, and Aster was behind Vivien, but Lottie was in the far back as they seemed to be the last students. Somewhere in the middle was Aeswyn.

The group of students was soon following the leader out of the room, and as they walked, Aster looked up, and she saw the cosmos in the dining hall. She was in amazement at the illusion, and that almost made her stop to just gawk mindlessly at it, big Sam pushed her forward.

What Aster didn't expect was the large dining hall to be filled with so many people already. She usually saw crowds when she was going to perform in a dance recital or do some ice skating routine, but Aster was out of practice due to the months of unexpected traveling and detainment. If she was expected to just suddenly dance! Wait she wouldn't be dancing, she would be doing magic right?! So what magic tricks did she know?!

The line stopped, and Aster accident bumped into Vivien, who looked back and glared for a moment but returned looking forward. This was serious! This was a momentous occasion after all!

There was a hat on a stool...and it started to float in the air and to sing...

 _"_ Oh _you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if_ you've _a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Aster began clapping her hand enthusiastically among the first years, and the rest of the hall followed suit. Though the new peers she was among did not seem that impressed, and Sam didn't even know there was a song due to his lack of hearing at the moment, so he was mostly confused.

As the roar of the applause died down, Aster started to weave in and out of the line a bit, mostly poking her head to see her surroundings. There were adults at the head of the table, but a woman with silvery locks poking through her emerald green hat that matched her robes. She sat in the middle. Aster could see other adults, and she saw the man from earlier sitting there among the teachers. Though sitting next to the large man was the man from earlier. The man with the evil green eyes.

Aster made a mental note to stay out of that guy's way.

"When I call your name, you will come up, and I will place the hat on your head, and it will sort you into your house," Flitwick said and began reading off the list of names, started with the surname A. While that was going on, Aster turned to sign to Sam what was going on, but also said she can't help much since her last name was Campbell, which started with a C. Sam nodded, and Lottie stepped forward and whispered to Aster, "I'll help him after you go up," she said. Aster smiled softly, appreciatively, "thanks Lottie," Aster whispered.

Soon, the "B" surnames were being called, and after a few had been called and sorted, Aster heard, "Bulstrode, Vivien." The girl in front of Aster turned for a moment to see the blonde girl, the brunette girl, and the boy and nodded before she approached the Sorting Hat. Aster watched as Vivien sat down and the hat was placed on her head before proclaiming, "SLYTHERIN!" There was some applause from the table in the far left of the hall, and Vivien smiled and walked over there.

"Campbell, Aster," Flitwick read out. Aster suddenly felt very nervous, like she was about to do her routine in the ice. Aster began walking, hurrying a bit when she saw she was far back in line she was. Someone had put their foot out and tripped the girl. Aster fell on the steps, and the laughter from the group all the students was deafening.

Aster got up on her hands and knees before steadying herself on her feet, feeling mostly embarrassed. She looked around and saw the foot still sticking out and the red-haired girl from earlier who splashed the water at her and Vivien. Her hair was long and thick with small ringlet curls in them. Aster noticed the proud look on her face.

Aster walked slowly to the stool, up and after a quick ask from Flitwick if she was already, Aster nodded and sat on the seat, and the hat was placed on her head.

" _Hmm...interesting...very interesting. You seem to have a fiery spirit deep inside. Lots of passion and compassion. Though your ambitious side is strong as well when you're pushed hard enough. Though not so much in clever_ ," Aster could hear the hat talk to her. While Aster wasn't going to say anything mean, that didn't mean she didn't feel insulted. However, the dark thought passed quickly. "Well Mr. Sorting Hat, you can sort me in whatever house you feel is best," Aster had spoken aloud, and that just caused another roar of laughter from the students.

" _Yes, now it's clear...better be_ **HUFFLEPUFF**!" The hat exclaimed, and the girl smiled in glee. While she would have liked to be in her mom's house, Gryffindor, she just liked the sound of Hufflepuff. It sounded cute and fluffy, like puff-pastry.

As Aster headed for her new house's table, a particular professor sat with a scowl on his face, crossing off her name from his list that he had before him. His green eyes pierced through the crowd of professors and as he made along through Aster Campbell's name. He watched the sorting with intrigue, as though he was crossing off potential suspects. Though his eyes did dart over to the table closer to his side, seeing the Slytherins and at a particular James Sirius Potter.

Aster smiled and was welcomed with open arms into the Hufflepuff house. Though as other kids named were called and sorted, Aster looked over at the Slytherin table, and she and Vivien waved at each other. Aster waved back, though hers was more evident than Vivien's meek wave.

Sam's name was called, and he had was nudged by Lottie to go forward. He approached the hat, sat and within a moment he was sorted into Ravenclaw (with magic he was able to know where the house he was sorted into).

The next to be called was, "Fawley, Marigold," and Aster watched as the mean girl who had tripped her walked with confidence to the hat. The hat was barely on her head before it proclaimed, "GRYFFINDOR!" The full table next to the Hufflepuffs roared out at a new member of their house.

A few kids went back and soon enough, Aeswyn was called. He walked up to the hat, did the thing but it was actually a Hatstall. Many students went quiet as this hasn't happened in years. Soon enough, six minutes went by before the house proudly stated, "HUFFLEPUFF." Aster stood up and clapped, undoubtedly the most enthusiastic Hufflepuff at the moment. Aeswyn went over to her, and the two sat down.

"What happened?" Aster asked, "you were wearing the sorting hat for a long time."

"The hat didn't know whether to put me in Slytherin or Hufflepuff," he said.

"Really?" Aster asked.

"Yeah. It was strange. He kept debating about how I possess the qualities of Slytherin and Hufflepuff but what won me over was something strange the hat said about how I was a Muggleborn or something," Aeswyn said.

That was strange. Aster watched more of the sortings, and while there were some new members of Hufflepuff house, Aster was curious about where Lottie would be placed.

"Southernwood, Nikolette," Aster was confused when Lottie stepped forward and put on the hat, though it quickly dawned upon her that "Lottie" was a nickname. "RAVENCLAW!" As the girl walked over to the table to the left of the hall, taking a seat next to Sam at the Ravenclaw table, Aster felt a little sad because aside from Ace, all of her new friends were in different houses. Well, she would still try to make their friendship work.

As soon as the rest of the kids were quickly sorted, the woman with green velvet robes stood up and approached the podium. Aster thought she looked like what an elegant witch would look like. "Hello students," she spoke. "I have some start of the term announcements to make. I wish to welcome a new member of our staff for the year. Please welcome Harry Potter as your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," she said and waved an arm to the man's direction. Aster watched as the man with green eyes stood up and smiled to the kids, but as some kids clearly applauded was vehemence, the younger kids like Aster and Ace only applauded as it seemed appropriate to do so. "Wait, I think I know him," Ace said. "Yesterday at the wand shop, he came in right after you left," Ace said to Aster.

Aster shrugged, "small world?"

"I didn't know he was famous," Ace commented.

As the applause died down, one of the students scoffed at Ace's comment, "you don't know who the Harry Potter is?!" It was an older Hufflepuff student, who had brown hair and no other distinguishable features. "He's the Boy Who Lived!"

"The Boy Who Lived?" Aster asked with a cocked eyebrow. She turned back to the Headmistress, who was talking about something else that Aster didn't think applied to her. Her eyes drifted to her left, seeing the Ravenclaw table and seeing Sam and Lottie watching the Headmistress. Past them, she could see Vivien, and the girl looked really lonely as she sat on the edge of the table. Had they been in a regular school, Aster would have gotten up and walked over to Vivien and sat next to her so Vivien wouldn't be so lonely. She didn't think it was allowed at the moment since none of the other kids were moving around.

"…and with these announcements out of the way, let the feast begin!" She looked over, and food suddenly appeared on the table. While there was plenty of food available for students, the biggest thing was the enormous cake that was directly in front of Ace. "HEY! WE HAVE A BIRTHDAY!" One of the Hufflepuffs shouted. Aster gawked at the three-tiered cake with the sparkles on it. Written on it was "Happy 12th Birthday Aeswyn!"

Aeswyn was utterly blown away as he was not expecting such a thing. One of the taller Hufflepuff stood up, and Aster caught slighter of her "Prefect" on her robes. "We like to celebrate our student's birthdays, even if we don't know them yet," she said, standing between Aster and Ace, but she was talking more to Ace. "Once we get in our houses, those who had birthdays over the summer will have a small gift for them," she said. "Oh, and my name is Serenity Whitehair by the way," she said and added, "and Happy Birthday Aeswyn!" The students were clapping voracious, Aster included, but Ace's expression looked very uneasy.

As he started to cut into the cake, he heard a scream and a ghostly head popping out. "Watch it there Sonny!" It was a ghost of an older teen. "You could really give someone a splitting headache with stab like that!"

"Nice to see you again Weasel!" Serenity said with amusement, "but seriously, let the kid have some cake," she said with a playful roll to her eyes. The specter looked at Aeswyn, seeing the red-haired and asked, "you wouldn't happen to be a Weasley would you?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow as he floated up playfully. Ace shook his head no, "my name is Aeswyn Horne, but you can call me Ace."

"Ace! I love it!" The ghost said and jumped up from the cake, and soon lots of other ghosts floated in the room. One ghost and particular approached the table. Aster has never believed in ghosts, but she was enjoying the extra company. "Aww! Such adorable first-years!" He said. Aster could only describe this ghost's special appearance as though he had been a monk before. "Fat Friar, a pleasure as always," another one of the older kids greeted. The man bowed and said, "yes, hello again. I'm so happy to meet such kind-hearted Hufflepuffs," he said and saw the cake, "We have a birthday! Those are always exciting!"

Ace finished cutting a slice of cake and gave the first slice to Aster, but soon all of the Hufflepuffs were given a slice of cake with some extra cake left over. Aster looked around and saw the other houses and soon saw Lottie by herself since Sam had left to get his hearing aids fixed. She tried talking to some classmates, but it seemed like it wasn't getting anywhere. Aster then looked over to Vivien again, seeing her worse off as no one from her house was even attempting to talk to her.

Ace got up suddenly and had some plates out, "Aster, help me pass some cake out to our friends," he said and gave Aster a plate with a sliced birthday cake. As Ace went over and gave a slice to Lottie, who smiled when she got it, and Aster hurried to take the slice to Vivien. Aster smiled brightly, "special delivery from Ace!" Aster said and sat next to Vivien, giving her the slice. The uncertainty in Vivien's eyes as she looked at her house but she soon smiled and hugged Aster before eating some cake. Aster hugged back and sat with her new best friend at the Slytherin table, despite being a Hufflepuff.

Grey-green eyes glared over the girl, and a face of disbelief came across his face. Other Slytherins held that same expression, but this particular Slytherin just couldn't believe the nerve of this Hufflepuff newbie. He stood up, but as he was about to go over there, The Prefect of the Hufflepuff House called Aster back over. Aster pouted, gave Vivien one last hug, before getting up and rushing back over to the Hufflepuff Table, noticing a skip in her step.

James Sirius Potter just found a new target, and his eyes went over to the Slytherin girl, then back to the Hufflepuff who was now eating her slice of cake.


	7. Chapter 7: Professor Potter is Mean!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster's First lesson with the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor; Harry Potter. How will this end?

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 7**

Aster soon discovered her favorite subject was astronomy. While not one for flying in the sky herself, Aster loved charting the starts and looking through the telescope. She always felt a connection with the starry night. Her mom used to tell her that she made a wish on a falling star and soon, she had been born. Aster knew that was a little silly. Another connection he had with stars was her name; Aster. It meant 'Star' in Greek, and she remembered feeling so special being told that.

Her mother's little Star.

Another reason she liked this Astronomy was that she shared it was late at night, where they had to stay up and to an eleven-year-old, that was like a slumber party! Sharing it with the Ravenclaws as well meant she was sharing it with Lottie and Sam.

Sam, who actually had his hearing cured by the school nurse, was amazed by all the sounds he was able to hear clearly. "How did they fix your hearing Sam?" Aster had asked him, very curious as to how that was even possible. "The nurse poured some clear gunk in my ear, and when it when through the other side, I was able to hear for the first time without hearing aids." He spoke, but it was still apparent that he needed to work on speaking. Though now, he and Aster have a secret language, and now they could communicate something to each other without many others knowing.

Transfigurations was mostly a quick lesson about wand waving. Seeing the teacher, a Professor Denbright for transfigurations and taking excessive notes, which Aster could only keep her attention for that for about ten minutes before she got distracted by the pumpkin-turned-rat that had escaped and now all Aster was doing was watching it nibble on some crumbs.

Potions class taught by a man named Slughorn seemed like a class she could do okay in since it was basically like cooking and Aster liked to cook…well…bake…and make a bowl of cereal. She still wasn't worried!

Herbology was really nice since she knew Professor Sprout as her head of Hufflepuff House. The woman was plump and had a friendly smile. That eased Aster a lot since she wasn't sure if she had a green thumb or black thumb for plants and fungi.

One class she knew we should have trouble in was Defense Against the Dark Arts. She knew the moment she stepped in and saw Gryffindors. Aster looked around for any available seating, seeing Ace was sitting with a smaller Hufflepuff boy who she only knew as Tyler. Aster could see one empty seat next to a particular read haired girl. Aster walked over, sitting down. "Hi," Aster spoke. "I…I don't know what I did to upset you, but I want to apologize," Aster said. The red-haired girl clocked her tongue in her mouth, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously? Get over yourself," she said and crossed her arms.

"I-I'm sorry?" Aster asked with a soft stutter due to the surprising comment.

"Let me guess, my mommy will get me everything because I'm super-special-awesome right?" The girl used an exaggerated valley girl accent, and Aster looked unamused. "I don't talk like talk," Aster said, feeling embarrassed, red on her cheeks.

"I dO'n'T TalK LiKE THaT!" Marigold repeated in a mocking with crossed arms. "That's you. That's how you sound with that ridiculous accent of yours," she said in a rude tone. Aster, for the first time, felt her jaw tighten and the urge to punch to the girl in her smug mouth. Aster sat, boiling in rage and her face completely red with her right eye twitching. She stood up, "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!"

"Oh, you wanna fight American trash?!" Marigold stood up as well. The two girls, eye to eye soon started to fight each other, pulling each other's hair and tackling each other on the ground. The kids began to chant "fight," but one of the Hufflepuffs, Ace, pulled Aster off the girl. Both girls had scratches on their faces, and both girls would be sporting bruises of some kind.

The room went quiet when a loud crack echoed, and the professor stood over the lot. He was tall, about over six feet in height, and he felt like a shadow, dark and cold. His black trench coat flowed as he approached the students. He looked over at the two girls, eyeing each of them. Aster felt the silent sting of the professor's gaze. "I'm sorry," Aster said in a low voice and looked away from the man, fearing as though he would strike her if she weren't careful.

"Don't say things you don't mean," Professor Potter spoke, "especially to the person who you shouldn't apologize to." Aster looked over to Marigold for a moment, seeing the girl's disdain in her posture. Harry's piercing gaze felt like it was cutting through her body, how was Marigold so…uncaring about this?

"Losing a hundred points on, your day first ladies is not how you make people like you I must say," he said. He pointed to Marigold, "A Hundred from Gryffindor," there was a sting in his eyes, as though doing that pained him, and then he pointed to Aster, "A hundred from Hufflepuff," he said. Aster lowered her head, feeling ashamed. "Sit down both of you," he said and then turned to the rest of the students, "all of you." The kids never ran quicker in their lives to their seats. Aster stood, not knowing where to sit now and certainly didn't want to sit next to Marigold. Harry raised an eyebrow at the blonde, "do I need to take another hundred?"

Aster sat down against her will beside Marigold. The blonde tried to look at the professor, but all she felt like doing was crying. It took a lot of willpower to not shed some tears from not only fighting like that but from being scolded and getting points taken away from her house. Aster looked over to her left, where Marigold sat, and all Aster saw was anger in her eyes, but it wasn't directed at her.

The introduction lesson started, and as the professor, removing his coat and revealed his long sleeve white dress shirt with a black vest over it that white stripes on it, began talking about defensive spells and simple curses. Aster couldn't help but feel Professor Potter sheer hatred of her radiating off him. "While Miss Fawley and Miss Cow's Bell certainly showed aggressive behaviors such as fighting with…hair pulling," he commented, getting Aster's name wrong on purpose. "This class is to educate you on how to defend yourself with magic. Counter courses, defensive spells…spells to attack for protection," he said as a self-writing piece of chalk on the board.

One student raised their hand, a girl with oily brown hair, a Gryffindor, "excuse me Professor, but will you teach us any spells that defend against the three deadly spells?"

Potter's throat tightened, and his eyes darken at some thoughts no one could understand, "there are no counterspells for those three…and those are for lessons for when you're at least a fourth year," he said promptly, dismissing any further questions.

Aster put her elbow on the table, her eyes unable to look at the professor. Though it seemed as though she was disinterested in the lesson. It wasn't her intention, but when she heard a stern voice, "do I bore you already Miss Camper?" He asked with an attitude as he approached her bench. Aster looked up, "what? No sir!" Aster said, snapping upright. Her heart thudded quickly in her chest, and her jaw began to chatter with nervousness. "Then tell the class what I just said?"

"Something about…three deadly spells?" Aster sounded unsure, and the look in the eye of the Professor meant she was wrong. "If you had been paying attention Miss Crammer, you would know that I was talking about how to properly arm yourself in one on one combat with a simple spell," he towered over the girl, "ten points from Hufflepuff for not paying attention."

Aster looked at the professor, and as he turned, a soft voice could be heard, "Fifty points from Professor Potter," she said, and everyone in class turned to her, wondering what she was doing talking back like that. Even the girl next to her was stunned by that. The look of disbelief on Harry's face was visible. Aster continued, "My name is not Cow Bell, or Camper, or even Crammer. My name is Aster Campbell, and I do not deserve to be treated poorly," she stated with tears running down her face, though she wasn't aware of that fact.

The professor couldn't believe the nerve of this girl, he smirked, "you have detention for the rest of the month."

"I'll take the entire semester if it means you'll learn my name," Aster stated, standing up. "I don't know why you hate me so much already professor but treat me like any other student, and I'll respect you with respect you think you deserve because you hold the title of Professor."

All the students couldn't believe that she just said that, even if she was American. Potter stood, "Sit down Aster Brooke Campbell," he enunciated the words but the look on his face twisted with disgust. "Detention with me, for a month…or do you want the entire term like you offered before?"

Aster wavered as she stood there, "nothemonthwillbefinethankyouProfessor," the blonde sat down, feeling nauseous and lightheaded. Aster's hands were shaking, and she felt cold. Did a ghost go through her? She didn't look away from the lessons that entire hour, but Professor Potter didn't look directly at the girl for the rest of the class.

When class ended, Marigold looked at Aster with a very impressed expression. Ace rushed over to Aster as they walked out, "I can't believe you said that to the professor!" He exclaimed with disbelief.

Aster was shellshocked still, "w-what did I s-say again? I feel dizzy," Aster mumbled as she soon felt weak and collapsed on the ground, fainting from sheer shock of how she stood up to the professor like that when she never thought she would ever be so bold.

Maybe she should have been in Gryffindor after all?


	8. Chapter 8: James is Mean!

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 8**

Detention! She had never had even a written up in class, and now she has detention for a month! She sighed in disbelief at herself. She could kiss College goodbye along with any other opportunity she had to be something amazing! There were no ice skating professionals who had detention!

As Aster hung her head low in the Dining Hall at her lunch hour, Ace sat beside her, "you need to get over it! So you made an arse out yourself, and you made Hufflepuff lose a few house points," Ace said, and it only made Aster feel worse. Now she was bringing down her entire class down.

One of the older Hufflepuffs, Serenity, walked over. "What happened in Professor Potter's class?" The dirty blonde asked in a firm but gentle voice as she sat down. Aster looked up, feeling bad, "I got a month's worth of detention for back-talk," she said. Ace shook his head, "Professor Potter was being a dick, and she called him out on it," he pointed out. Serenity sighed, "it's not even Thursday's yet," she said. Classes as started Monday, and it was Wednesday. Aster looked up at the older girl, putting her elbow on the table and began poking her food with her fork. "I've never gotten detention a day in my life, and now I have it with the meanest professor ever."

The older girl looked uneasy, but he gave a sympathetic hug to the younger girl, "we all have our bad days, and we need them to appreciate the good ones," she said softly. Aster hugged her back, really appreciative of the hug.

When Serenity pulled away, Aster was sporting some new tears and Serenity gave her a napkin from the table, "wipe your tears and eat some chocolate. Lesson one for being emotional," she winked playfully at her. Aster let out a laugh as she wiped her tears, "I need to remember that," she said.

Ace just ignored the two, rolling his eyes. He didn't understand women.

* * *

As Aster went to her detention that evening, she had expected to deal with the worst kind of students. Though she was stunned in horror to realize she was it was just her who had actually arrived. Professor Potter looked over, almost surprised to see the girl with her textbooks, standing awkwardly at the door.

"Miss Campbell," he stood up from his seat. Aster flinched when he said he'd spoken her name. She walked in, "I...is this where detention is?" She asked.

The man groaned, pushing his glasses up from his face, speaking, "Yeah, can you sit down for a moment?"

Aster did as she was instructed, moving as though she glided onto the seat. She watched the Professor walked a bit, as though he was struggling to remember something. He soon let go of his face, his glasses falling on the bridge of his nose with a "thunk," and it was only now that Aster had realized he was even wearing glasses. "Miss Campbell, I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior."

Has she heard him correctly? Did he apologize? A teacher was admitting they did something wrong?!

"I should not have taken my aggression out on you. Thank you for pointing out my ill-manner behavior. I allowed personal feelings to affect how my student saw me and I want you to know that you were in the right for calling out my poor behavior," he said.

The concept of a teacher being wrong was utterly...incomprehensible for a child. It took the blonde child to think about all that she knew about teachers. She saw the look in his eyes and the evil that was there before wasn't there at the moment.

"You can go now Miss Campbell, and you don't have detention for a month, and your house will get back some of its points. Only some, after all, you were fighting with another student," Professor Potter stated.

Aster nodded, "that's okay. I just don't know why she hates me is all," Aster said as she got up. As she turned to leave, she stopped herself unable to move. While many kids would have jumped for joy at not being punished, Aster still didn't feel right. She did need punishment for fighting and just getting house points taken away wasn't fair. Her house shouldn't be punished because of her mistake. The blonde girl turned on her heel and sat back down, opening her book. Harry watched, stunned that she was doing homework. "You can do that in the library," Harry pointed out.

"No, I can't. I have detention for fighting in class," Aster stated clearly. Harry was baffled. He didn't give her detention for fighting. The Auror observed the girl for a few moments before he decided to sit down and work on grading somethings from other students.

The two sat in silence for about two hours before curfew.

* * *

Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, survived thrice throughout his life. Twice involved Voldemort; the last time was one that still haunted him to this very day.

As he settled in his temporary living arrangements, living in a room in the Gryffindor as he was acting as their Head of House until the term ended. He never thought he would be back at Hogwarts, but he was here more than to teach a class on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Potter released his hair from its tight bun and sat down at his desk. He pulled out a small book, a journal, that he used to write down notes of the students; individually, the first years and photos of each first year was pasted in. Canon shots, photos unknowingly were taken, and school photos Harry had obtained illegally. He pulled out his wand, or rather his ex-husband's wand, and flicked the pages of the journal, adding new information to it automatically.

He was secretly recording the students, around the school he had hidden items that recorded the events around Hogwarts, at least in critical locations. All the students were a target in his book, and he watched clips throughout the day, marking out certain students off his list. Harry always made a new record every day, as he searched for clues.

The first day of Hogwarts, the sorting ceremony, he may have been too hasty in marking out names.

His biggest target was a girl named Kaylie Matters, a young Gryffindor was dark brown hair and green eyes, so she was never crossed out. At least he could keep a close eye on her as her Head of House. Another child he targeted was Aeswyn Horne, though the red hair really made him question his qualifications. A Ravenclaw girl named Nikolette Southernwood was also a possibility, due to her single mother status…but another just popped back on the list.

Aster Campbell.

Harry couldn't find much on the girl since he began doing some research on her, only that she's American and recently moved to Charlestown, a small village on the coastline in Southern Great Britain.

He leaned in, examining her photo, and he backed away a bit, his eyes widening. "No," he whispered to himself as closed his journal, "she's too well-adjusted," he said. He said as he scratched her name out again. "The kid I would be looking for would be an outcast…that Nikolette girl could be a good candidate…I believe brown eyes run in my family," he said to himself as spoke.

* * *

Life at Hogwarts seemed to go smoothly; though many of the first years wouldn't think that after another explosion in the Charms room. Aster was covered in soot coughed out some smoke.

"MISS CAMPBELL!" Professor Flitwick shouted. "How many times have I told you that you need to be delicate with wand waving!"

"You should just take her wand away Professor," Marigold shouted from the other end of the classroom. "She's a hazard to our health!" Students laughed at the blonde girl, and she slammed her head on the table in front of her.

It's been over a month since school started and Aster seemed to be struggling with even the basics. Now she wished her mom had taught her something at least about the wizarding world.

Aster and Lavender had been keeping in touch as often as owls will allow. Aster was starting to feel homesick, but her idea of home wasn't the coastline where she had stayed for a few months with strangers who claimed to be her family. Aster's home was in Woodbridge, where the neighborhood was boxed in like a square, and it was okay to rollerblade on the streets with the other kids, and where she went to school with other kids like her. Another thing Aster missed was ice skating. She loved being on the ice, gliding around, the jumps and spins. She wasn't exactly getting that type of exercise at Hogwarts, and there wasn't exactly a class on ballet dancing at Hogwarts.

Sometimes, she would dance in her Hufflepuff common room, though there was never enough room to fully dance like how she was taught in the bedroom where there were ten other beds in one place.

Well, she wasn't the only one feeling lonely.

Lottie was writing letters in excess to her mother. It seemed like every day that Lottie was getting a new book from her mom, all muggle fiction books with titled like  _Pride and Prejudice_ , and  _The Clan of the Cave Bear_ , and  _A Handmaid's Tale_. She practically was developing her own library in her dorm.

Sam was sneaking in muggle technology parts, always tinkering with something. The first thing he tinkered with was his old hearing aids, and he was sketching out the components of the small device, trying to see how it worked. Recently he was sent a mini toolbox, and he began making the hearing aids into something else that Aster couldn't even understand what he was trying to build.

Ace was similar in that he was always off, playing a Nintendo 3DS either in the dorm. Even as Aster watched him eat, she knew he had his video game within his pant's pocket.

Aster looked over at the Slytherin table in the dining hall, and as she saw Vivien walking over, a smile on the girl's face, Aster's smile fade as she saw a blonde Slytherin walking over as well, trailing Vivien. As soon as Vivien sat down, James looked at the group of misfits. "Well well well, what's this? He asked as he reached over to what Sam was messing with, crushing it, "must be muggle-made. Muggle devices never last long, do they?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Lottie asked with annoyance due to the Slytherin male.

He chuckled a bit, "I thought you were the smart one of this lot with all those banned books you've been reading," he commented. Lottie raised an eyebrow. "Banned?"

"Yeah. Muggle books are forbidden at Hogwarts, along with a few other items," he turned to Sam, "like technology for instance."

"That's a dumb rule," Aster said bluntly. "Why forbid books or technology?"

James turned to the blonde, his smile turning stern and frowning, "because they don't belong in our magical world you idiot," he stated bluntly. "Listen here mudbloods; I don't know where you think you have the authority to bring your crap into our world but keep it out because we don't want it."

"Who's we?" Vivien spoke up. "I think this stuff is neat!"

"Of course, you would half-blood," James said with annoyance.

Vivien's eyes narrowed, "I'm a pureblood, unlike you," she stated bluntly. "You're Harry Potter's son are you not? He's a half-blood as well. What's about your other parent? Your mom?"

"First off, pretty  _ballsy_  of you to assume that I have a mom," James said, getting in Vivien's face. "Just like it's  _ballsy_  of everyone to assume that you are who you think you are  ** _Vanir_** ," he said with a smirk.

Vivien's eyes widen, and she sat down. The four other kids were confused. James saw that, and he continued, "that's right, sit down," he said and turned to the four other kids. "Listen up freaks, because you need to be put in your place."

"But…why though?" Ace asked as he looked at his friends. "It seems like you're the one who's not welcomed here."

"Yeah, we never invited you over or did anything to you," Sam pointed out.

James looked at them and realized all of the sudden that he was outnumbered, but he out skilled all of them if they decided to get in a duel. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at them, but they didn't flinch as he hoped, but he would get them jumping soon enough. "Finestra," James exclaimed, and all the glass cups on the table began to shatter, making the contents on the table and making the five students jump from their seats due to the spill. "Dude!" Aster shouted. "What's your problem?" Lottie asked as she held her paperback copy of a book called " _Jerry Bloomer and the Bard's Big Bang_ ," so it wouldn't get wet. Sam got up, and he stood about the same height as the older boy. "You need to get lost!"

"Hey!" Marigold exclaimed as she walked over, taking James's side, "what are you freaks doing to my James?!" She asked as she pointed her wand at the group.

"I thought you were too big to have your girlfriend protect you, James?" Vivien asked angrily.

"I don't even know who this!" James exclaimed in surprise that this girl came to his side, "but she's feisty and I don't want to get on her bad side."

Aster pulled out her wand, only to be hit with a "Petrificus Totalus," by Marigold, making her freeze and fall to the ground, backward. "We don't any more fire hazards at Hogwarts," Marigold stated.

"Stupefy!" Lottie shouted, using her wand and disarmed Marigold and making her drop her wand. As the other kids started to watch the standoff of students, a particular professor walked in. She wore purple robes that had silver stars stitched on them, with warm blonde hair pinned up and tucked into her witch hat. She was also fairly young, mid-twenties by the looks of it. "Students, stand down," Professor Denbright spoke as she approached the group. "There is no dueling in the Dining Hall. Honestly," she said and looked down and saw Aster in a bind, literally. Aster saw the professor as she used her wand, "Rennervate," she said and freed the girl from the bind. Aster managed to move again, and while she did need help standing after that, she was okay overall.

The professor sighed and looked at all of them, "Potter, Fawley, Southernwood and Campbell, 10 points from each of your houses," she said. "You all come from separate houses, and yet you fight. That is not what Hogwarts School is based on." Her blue eyes looked at all of the students.

"Professor Denbright, we didn't do anything wrong," Sam stated. "James was the one who started all of this. We just minded our own business."

The kids nodded, expect for Marigold who actually looked at the blonde with an uncertain frown.

"Yeah well, they all have muggle contraband like technology and books!" James pointed out hysterically, to try to get them in trouble, but the professor was unimpressed. "Honestly Mr. Potter, when your father hears about this, I know he'll be very disappointed in your behavior lately."

"So? Let him," James said and looked at Vivien, "see you around Vanir," he said with a sadistic smirk and walked away.

Vivien clutched her ropes uncomfortably as he said that. She turned to Professor Denbright, "can I transfer houses by any chance?"

"Sorry sweetie," she said, "but I wouldn't worry about him. Kids like him only talk. Whatever action they do usually backfires," she said, brushing off the obvious concern in the girl's eyes.

Aster approached her friend, "hey, do you wanna talk Vivien? You seem really upset."

"No! I'm fine!" Vivien said as she lashed out a bit and headed out of the dining hall. Aster didn't know what she did wrong, but it felt like she was the cause of a lot of problems.


	9. Chapter 9: Who is Vivien Bulstrode?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter where we learn more about a girl named Vivien Bulstrode, a Slytherin girl. So why is James Potter, another Slytherin student, bullying her relentlessly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Bullying! I do not hold these views towards transpeople, but this a chapter that develops one of the villains for the purposes of the story so yes, you're allowed to hate him! I fully support LGBT+ and while I'm not a member of the community (at least I think I'm not), I would fully protect my LGBT+ siblings!

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 9**

Vivien Bulstrode was a girl of very few words. Yes, she spoke and was well spoken, but she was not an extroverted person such as Aster. No. She kept up herself, and she had her reasons why. Even at eleven years old, the portly girl was anything but ordinary. Her inky black hair always gave off the impression that someone poured ink on her roots and it spread down her face, giving her a glower. Her slanted eyes, a trait she inherited from her incubator, always were her best feature, but the dark brown of the eyes gave off a colorless dark void, and when she stared at you, a chill would crawl down your spin. Her pale skin made her look sickly, as though she was allergic to the sun. In her neighborhood in her German town of Heidelberg, people avoided her, and that was fine with her. If there was one thing about her hometown was that she loved the Gothic architecture castles. If she ever aspired to change her attire, it would be to emulate those Gothic cultures from which those castles were built in.

Unlike many of her peers, Vivien was born into the Wizarding World and raised as such. Her father, a transman once named Millicent Bulstrode. Vivien's incubator, a woman Millicent had met years after Hogwarts, was of Korean descent and of a Pureblood wizarding family herself. Vivien didn't care too much to ask more about it since she and the woman do not get along, but that was a story for another day.

So it was a surprise when she was approached by a girl with brown hair that fateful September morning when a girl with blue-rimmed rectangle glasses approached and asked if she was also a first-year. Vivien got on the cart with the girl she now knew as Lottie, and as a taller, stockier boy with glasses and hearing aids in his ears was going into a cabin, Vivien soon fell sight of a young girl with light blonde hair and a body so thin that it made her hair look like a lollipop. The girl was just as sweet as the treat she resembled, and Vivien couldn't believe that someone like Aster was even her friend. Or that Nikolette was her friend, or Sam and even Ace!

Even in a house where they valued fraternity, Vivien was an outsider. With her new friends, she was able to learn about the muggle world through them, and they could learn about her world. Aster especially had been a close friend. Vivien would never forget the day that cemented their friendship. While giving her a slice of cake was a lovely gesture, but there was a moment where Vivien was miserable. She had been locked out of the Slytherin common room (a cruel joke pulled by James) and the stress of her personal life, which she never liked to disclose, was hitting her.

The Hufflepuff dorm was reasonably close by, and Aster was coming back form detention when she heard someone crying. The girl went over, "Vivien? Are you okay?" Vivien looked up and saw the girl with a concerned expression. The black-haired girl stood up on shaking knees and started to nod, but it turned to negative head shakes. "No, I'm locked out of my room and my family sucks! And I don't know what to do anymore!" Aster did not hesitate to embrace her friend in a hug, letting her cry out her frustrations. "Hey now, it'll be okay," Aster said, but she had no experience in dealing with this. How could she when she was eleven years old? Aster started to think and suddenly asked, "you wanna sneak into the Hogwarts kitchen and grab some sweets?"

Vivien nodded and the two girls, hand and hand, headed for the kitchens. Usually, the elves were helpful and wouldn't say anything if one or two pastries went missing from a tray, especially after hours. So as they headed down the staircase that led toward the Hufflepuff basement, they made a turn and headed to the kitchens. Aster stopped and looked at Vivien, "I'll be back," she said and headed inside. Vivien watched as the girl lowered herself, crouching down and stopping when she saw a few elves go by with large piles of dishes. Vivien was surprised to see how nimble Aster was as she stretched out her right leg forward to take a step and just as she swiped around the corner, swiping two cupcakes and running out without making a loud crash or brought attention to herself.

The two girls sat on the staircase, and eat their sweets in delight. Vivien realized in that moment that no one had ever snuck her treats before, or even held her as she cried. It made the girl skeptical for a moment, and Vivien could help but ask, "Aster, why are you my friend?"

Aster was genuinely confused by that question. "Does there need to be a reason why? Can't we just be?" Aster adorned a smile that Vivien had never been able to wear herself.

Now it was Vivien's turn to be confused, but she smiled, and tears began to flow again, "I guess we can."

And that was what Vivien was thinking about as she stormed through the Slytherin common room. The dungeons themselves were considered "cozy," and the roaring fireplace that was lit up looked more like something from a horror movie with its magical green flames.

And there, sitting in the most lavished chair in the dungeon, she saw James with his friends Giles Zabini, who was attractive with light brown skin and distinguished blue eyes, and a large chap who Vivien would describe as a giant walking brick. She stepped toward James, "how did you know?" She asked.

"What?" James asked.

"How. Did. You. Know?!" She demanded once more as she grabbed his shirt but was grabbed by her arms, held back by the brick and Giles. "You shouldn't be grabbing like that, little girl," Giles spoke in a monotone voice.

"It's okay Giles. He's one of the boys if you catch my drift," James spoke coldly.

"I'm not a boy!" Vivien declared outright.

"The bulge under your skirt begs to differ," James spat at Vivien, telling his friends to let her go and he kicked her to the ground. He kept a foot down on her stomach, pressing hard, "I knew something was funny about you. I honestly can't believe that the sorting hat allowed you to be in this house freak," James said.

"Hey man back off," Giles said, seeing as this was being taken to far.

James lifted his foot off the inky haired girl, and she rolled on her side. The blonde glared, "what are you some kind of sympathizer?"

"Back down. She's one of us. A Slytherin," Giles. "In fact, I don't like your attitude lately. What's your deal?" As the two older boys bickered, Vivien stood up and began heading toward the girl's sleeping corridors. Though she was stopped by the brick of a boy and James smirked, "good job Martin," James said as he approached.

Vivien has never seen evil until now, and like the devil, himself approached her. James reached over and cupped Vivian's cheek, "you must not have hit puberty yet since your face is hair-free," he said, and Giles grabbed his wrist, "stop it. Now. Leave her alone."

"What is this freak your boyfriend or something? Damn you two should kiss already," James said and let Vivien go. The girl was freed, and as she tried to leave again, James stopped, "listen here Vanir, you ever go over to the Hufflepuff table with your little friends, they might not be your friends anymore," he said.

"Why do you care who I hang out with?" Vivien asked. "And my name is Vivien now."

"Vanir...you only need to know that I'm trying to protect our house," he said.

"Slytherin house isn't in any danger. You're a bully," Vivien pointed out blunt.

James looked over smiled, "and what if I am? Who will stop me? You? You can't even tell what gender you are."

"IM A GIRL AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!" Her voice cracked, and she covered her mouth. James smirked, "no. You're not. You're a confused child who really needs to get her head on straight. Facts are facts, and you were born with a penis, like me, and you only fit what all natural is."

As James continued to taunt the girl, Giles reached over and gave him a left hook to the face. Vivien stood in awe, but very frightened. "Why did you do that?"

"Because this is Slytherin house and being trans isn't against our code," he stated. "Plus I have my own reasons."

Vivien smiled a bit, "thank you for doing that," she said and walked over to James and stepped on his stomach with all her weight. "How does it feel jerk?!" She asked and soon headed to her dorm room.

Giles leaned down and shook his head, "you know you're giving all of us a bad name. What the hell is even going on with you?"

"Shut up queer lover!" James exclaimed. Giles only rolled his eyes, "man you a dumbass," he stood up straight and headed to the door room. James looked over at the larger student who just stood by and watched everything, "why didn't you do anything? You just stood there like an idiot!"

The boy walked over and punched James in the face, knocking the blonde out before he scurried to his dorm room uneasily.

No one noticed the folded up pamphlet in his robe pockets.

* * *

The next day at the Dining Hall, Aster was eating breakfast, scrambled eggs and toast, when she looked over and saw Vivien. She smiled and waved over frantically to get Vivien's attention. Vivien remembered what happened last night, and as she glanced over at the Slytherin dining table, she saw James with a black eye and giant bruise on his cheek. Vivien looked over at Aster, who was still waving at her. She was even leaning back so much that she fell out of her seat, laughing about it.

Vivien walked over to the Hufflepuff table and helped Aster up, "you're enthusiastic today," she commented.

"Yeah! I gotta tell you how I'm learning how to control my wand-waving!" Aster said as she began to talk about a laser pointer toy and how she was playing with it with her cat Wednesday and how she could watch the movements of her wand waving on the wall harmlessly.

Vivien sat down and looked at James once more, giving him an "I-dare-you," expression before she focused back on Aster.

James scolded and pulled out a pamphlet, and spoke the words, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," with his wand touching it, and as he looked at the map, he saw the name "Vanir Bulstrode" floating at the Hufflepuff table.

But the name floating next to it wasn't Aster Campbell. It said some much more different. He looked over, his grey-green eyes on the smiling and laughing blonde Hufflepuff. A wave of indescribable anger built in his chest and if he were a dragon, he would be breathing out smoke. He bit his inner cheek, and looked at the map again, holding his wand against it, "Mischief Managed," he said, closing the back.

James wasn't thinking of the consequences when he began to angrily tear up the map, getting up and storming out of the dining hall. No one would find out what he knew now, especially not the famous Harry Potter.


	10. Chapter 10: The Potters are Horrible!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry Potter integrates Ravenclaw first year Lottie Southernwood when he should be keeping an eye on his son. So why is he integrating students? Who is he looking for? And how evil is James Potter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, welcome to another chapter of Shooting Star! 
> 
> This chapter goes into the subject of severe bullying, assault, past mpreg and fetal abduction (yes, you read that correctly).
> 
> I don't Harry Potter, just OCs (do I seriously need to inform people that I am not J.K Rowling?)

 

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 10**

As Aster and Vivien sat at the Hufflepuff table, Ace soon joined them, enjoying a play of sausage and grits. Aster was showing Vivien how she was improving her wave waving with a small blue laser pointer she used for playing with her cat Wednesday. Across the wall was a red dot and Aster flickered her hand so slight and was getting better wrist control for waving her wand and this was much safer than actually using her wand since no spells could be produced from it.

James approached the Hufflepuff table, pulling our wand, but Vivien pulled her out and said, "not another step closer James!"

The blonde Slytherin smirked, "and what are you going to do Vanir?"

With a surge of anger, Vivien waved her wand, and a bunch of boogie-bats came flying from his nose. The students who were in the dining hall watched with impressed amusement. That was a tough jinx for a first year to pull off after all.

This only enraged James, and he flung out, "Obscuro!" One of the napkins from the table flew directly in Vivien's eyes, making her drop her wand as she tried to get the napkin off her. Aster stood up to step in, but she was flung across the dining hall, smacking against one particular Gryffindor who was actually just walking in the dining hall.

Ace pulled out his wand to stop James, but when he watched as Vivien was suddenly in the air by James, as though being held by her ankles, he held a sadistic smirk as he dropped her, but having removed her skirt and tights.

James let out a laughed as the girl stood up and was revealed to have been born a boy. Everyone in the hall didn't erupt in a loud roar as James thought they would. In fact, most of the younger girls screamed and covered their eyes as to not see the private parts. Vivien tried to hold down her sweater vest top down to hide the lower half of her body, and despite being blinded at the moment, she wanted to die.

When one of the professors finally came in after heading the students screaming, it was then that they knew James was beyond a bully.

Aster as among one of the few girls was n't screaming, Marigold being the second, and the two girls got up and saw how Vivien was crying and trying to hide her shame. Aster was about to walk forward when Ace stepped up, being closer, and removed his robed and placed them over the girl's shoulders. He held her up and glared at the cruel Slytherin before he helped her out. Aster went over and grabbed the garments of clothes that had been forcibly removed from her body. She glared at the Slytherin even more intensely then Ace had done, and she went running after the two of them as they went to the school's infirmary. Even Marigold's crush on the blonde ended then and there. This was irredeemable.

The Professor, Professor Flitwick, shook his head in shame over the boy. This would not go unpunished.

* * *

_"Harry! Can you get James? He's crying again!"_

_"On it!" Harry shouted as he waddled to a room with royal green walls and golden trimmings. Standing in the crib was a 23-month old (almost 2 years old) toddler with bright blonde locks that almost looked white in color and beautiful green-grey eyes. The boy has a pacifier in his mother and a big smile as he looked up and saw his daddy. Harry leaned down and with a groan, he picked up the boy. Bending down was not an easy task with his swollen belly anymore. Harry was nine months pregnant with his second child, and he held the boy against his hip. "Ready for breakfast James?"_

_Harry walked out of the room and down the stairs, very carefully mind you, and could soon smell a delicious meal being cooked by his husband, Draco. Draco was taller with lean-muscle, short blonde hair with darker shades of blonde for eyebrows and a strong jaw-line. He was wearing a dress shirt with jeans, "here, this is for you," he said. Draco and made a plate of food for Harry. A large pile of pancakes and eggs with all of the bacon. Harry smile placed James in his highchair. "Thank you, honey," Harry said and went over the two shared a kiss before Harry day down and began eating. He turned to Draco, "aren't you eating as well?"_

_"No. I have to go soon and pick up Teddy remember? He has that doctor's appointment, and then I promised him to take him to the park," Draco said._

_"That's right," Harry said. It was Saturday, and while many older children and teens would be getting ready for Hogwarts, Teddy was only nine years old, still too young._

_Draco got a small plate of scrambled eggs ready for James, who was eating like how all messy boys liked to eat. Draco gave the boy a kiss on the forehead and went to clean up a bit. "I'll take James with me while you rest," Draco offered._

_"Are you sure?" Harry asked._

_"Yeah. Mother said she would be delayed and I know you need your bed rest," Draco said._

_Harry playfully rolled his head, "yes. Our baby will be here any day now."_

_"I still think it'll be a boy and I'll finally have a Scorpius Lucius in our family," Draco said._

_Harry shook his head, "no. It'll be a girl, and we will have a Lily Narcissa_   _as we agreed upon!" Harry reminded him. Draco smiled widely, "remember if you end up going into labor while we're gone,-"_

_"I'll cast an alarmingly spell. I know," Harry said as he always kept his wand close to him. Draco leaned down and kissed Harry's head, and hugged him from behind, "take it easy," Draco said and went over to the messy toddler and sighed, "let's change your clothes," he commented, seeing the boy wearing his breakfast instead of eating it._

_Draco pulled out his wand, and after performing a few simple cleaning spells on baby James, along with transfiguring new clothes onto the boy, Draco headed off for the day with a diaper bag and baby James._

_Harry finished up his breakfast and stood up. He went to wash the plate and headed back upstairs to rest._

_It soon turned to a few hours since Draco had left when Harry was fixing up the new baby's nursery. Harry had designed the room with Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, the only girls he really knew and whose opinions were valuable to him. Hermione had a daughter not long ago, a daughter named Rose. Ginny and Luna were helpful as they kept Harry company. Though now he was alone and just rearranging the last of the items._

_The nursery was natured-themed with light yellow walls and lily flowers painted along the grass trimming that was also in the wall designed. The crib was a beautiful white wood with yellow blankets._

_As Harry's guard was down, he heard the front door open. He smiled, "Narcissa!" He shouted. "I'm upstairs!" He exclaimed and soon heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Look! We finally finished the nursery!" He stepped out, and when he saw Draco, he was a little surprised. "Oh, Draco! You frighten me a bit. I thought you were taking the boys to the park," Harry said as he laughed a bit. Though the man before him did not crack a smile. In fact, he looked as though someone had angered him. His jaw was, and he looked like he was ready to attack. "So where's Teddy and James?" He asked, but as he asked that, his eyes widen in fear. The shift in the air was significant._

_"Changes of plans," Draco raised his wand and spoke, "Imperio," Harry's eyes widen as he was struck the curse and unlike the times before where he could have easily broken away from it, he couldn't break away in his weakened state. Harry was forced to start walking to his bedroom. He turned to look around and break the curse but he couldn't. Not with the baby._

_When he was now laying on the bed, the curse was released only for another spell to be shot at him, stunning Harry and making his body stiff. "Dra...co..." Harry tried to speak but he could. Not when he couldn't even move. His body was like someone binding his body together. Even his stomach felt tight, as though he was being squeezed._

_Harry hadn't noticed the bags of tools Draco had with him, but as soon as he felt his shirt lifting, a fear soon came to him._

_Too late though as he felt the pain of being stabbed and sliced open, the sound of his own body ripping apart forever imprinted in his mind. He couldn't even scream as he felt his skin being pull and his organs literally being cut out of him. In the magical world, C-sections were highly supervised and only in cases of medical necessity as they had potions to help pregnant people give birth naturally. Harry had James with a potion that turned him into a woman, and he birthed the boy just fine._

_Draco was silent as he ripped out Harry's stomach and soon sliced opened a sack, revealing the baby. Draco reached inside and pulled the baby out, and a loud scream was heard. "So beautiful," his words would linger in Harry's mind. Harry watched in horror as his baby was crying out, in the cold hair, covered in blood and being born in such a violent manner._

_Harry was dying and in so much pain that his body felt as though someone replaced all his body parts with ice. In a moment of sheer willpower, Harry moved his left hand out, "b...ba...by..."_

_The look in Draco's cold eyes was the last thing Harry remembered as his body shut down._

_However, he was the master of death, and he couldn't be killed. The immortal wizard who could never be killed._

_Harry would remember Draco's eyes and the sound of his baby crying as his consciousness soon faded into a limboing state of death and life._

* * *

"Professor Potter?"

The thirty-eight-year-old wizard looked over and saw the young girl before him. She was of average height with dark brown hair cut short with a mini ponytail holding some of her hair back and with blunt bangs cut at her eyebrow line. "Miss Southernwood, please sit," Harry spoke.

The young Ravenclaw sat down, holding a stack of three textbooks on her lap.

"I just need to ask you a few questions," Harry said as he held out a clipboard and a quill. Lottie nodded, "Sure Professor. Whatever you need."

"When is your birthday," he asked.

"August 11th. I just turned eleven before Hogwarts," she said. Harry wrote that down. "And your parents. Can you give me their names?"

"My mom is named Lilac Southernwood, but I don't know who my father is," Lottie answered honestly, though some discomfort was evident as the eleven-year-old girl was tugging at her collar. She was beginning to feel as though she was a criminal. Harry wrote that down. "And you were raised as a muggle correct?"

Lottie nodded, "yes sir. First witch in my family!" She boasted a bit, wearing that fact as a badge of honor. Harry continued writing. Though as Harry wrote, Lottie asked, "uh sir...I thought the school already had this information."

Harry looked up, past his clipboard and to the olive-skinned Ravenclaw. Her eyes were big and brown, and he noted that in his notes. "We have to confirm a few things," he said plainly and continued speaking, "in regards to your mother. She is a muggle correct? No sign of magic from her?"

"No, sir. That's why one of the professors came to my house and explained what I am. My mother had no idea," she said.

Harry pulled out his wand and said, "I'm going to perform a quick spell, and it'll give me some info about you," he said. Before Lottie could oppose, Harry waved his wand and a small light cave out of Lottie's mouth and was transcribing itself on the rest of his paperwork.

Lottie felt as though a part of her was suddenly taken away. "Professor! What did you do?"

"It's a simple genetic-testing spell," he said and when the writing finished, Harry the results and said, "Sorry about this Miss Southernwood. It's actually for legal reasons," he informed her. "You're free to go," he said.

Lottie stood up, feeling uneasy and left the office.

Harry broke his quill out of anger. "Damn it. Not her he said. The results of the spell was actually a spell used for genetic mapping. Basically, it compared a person's DNA with another's. Harry was testing his DNA with his suspects, and that was the third mismatch he got.

"Nope. Not her either," he spoke to himself.

Just as he was about to give up, he got a knock at the door though it opened and it revealed an annoyed Headmistress McGonagall. "Harry. Are you testing children's DNA without their consent?" She asked in a stern voice.

Harry turned and said, "you know why I'm even here. Why do you sound surprised?"

"Because going about this is improper protocol and you know this," McGonagall stated. "Children's privacy is important."

"And finding my missing child isn't?" Harry asked in a building fury. "Is he or she is at this school, I will find them."

"And then what? Are you going to take them away from the life they know?"

"I'm going to give them the home I never got as a child," Harry stated. "They were cut out of me, and I was left to die. Malfoy had to have hidden her in the muggle world for whatever reason!"

Minerva sighed, shaking her head, "I know you've been in great pain for many years...but it's time to focus on your son," she stated.

"Why? What's he doing?" Harry asked.

"James is harassing a member of the house and exposed some very private matters to the rest of the students! He's going to have in-school suspension, and all of his extra-curricular activities will no longer be allowed to him for the rest of the school year." Minerva pointed out. "You need to pay more attention to the child you have! He's a menace! One of the worst students Hogwarts has ever had!"

Harry scoffed, "kids pick on each other. What's so bad that he did? What private matters were exposed anyways?"

"Her genitalia!" Minerva emphasis day greatly. Harry was taken back by this. "What?!"

"James pulled down the girl's skirt in front of most of the students and revealed her genitalia! Her parents are beyond upset, and the girl is in a state of distress as well!"

"What the hell?! Why would he do that?"

"The girl is transgender, and he wanted to expose that fact. Not to mention I've been getting in-class reports about his awful attitude toward students and the other professors! The one who doesn't seem to notice is you!" She exclaimed. "Your son is on thin ice. One more incident from him and he will be expelled from Hogwarts!" She exclaimed and turned on her heel. Harry chased after the Headmistress, "Professor! Professor!" Harry cut in front of her. "Please reconsider expelling James and ease off the punishments from him. I'll handle him."

"It's no longer in your jurisdiction to do so Mr. Potter," she stated. "Anything and everything that happens at Hogwarts is my business, and your son has been a menace since the start of the term. It's not even Halloween yet. I cannot nor will I overlook this incident, Harry. A girl was violated and is being ridiculed by some of her peers for her gender identity. One more step out of line and he will have his wand removed, and he will be expelled from Hogwarts. No exceptions. If he doesn't get punished for doing that, then what's next Harry?"

Harry seized his search for the moment. He needed to reign James in on his beyond poor behavior.


	11. Chapter 11: Aster's Acrophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Aster comforts Vivien after being exposed, who comforts Aster as she has to deal with her biggest fear; heights? 
> 
> Plus how far will James push Harry's patience?

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 11**

Vivien and Aster were soon sitting outside with their cats' lodging in their laps. Wednesday, Aster's black cat, purred contently as she was being loved on. The once feral cat seemingly enjoyed the spoiled life of a pet now.

Olive, Vivien's nine-year-old cat, sat in her lap as well. The cat had a shut eye with some crust over it, and a diluted gray and orange mixed into her fur.

Vivien looked at Aster, seeing her smiling as she gave Wednesday chin scratches. "I'm surprised you wanted to see me," Vivien spoke softly. Aster was confused, "I don't why that's surprising. We're still friends, right?"

Vivien looked uneasy, and fear lingered in her eyes, "I hope we are," she admitted, and when she stopped petting Olive, the older cat left her lap, and Vivien held her hands together. "A lot of people thought I was strange growing up because I'm a girl in a boy's body," Vivien admitted. "I didn't want to lose one of my first friends because of what James did. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you about this."

Aster could see how upset her friend was. Though she could not truly understand the pain, Vivien was going through. Aster knew that hiding one's true self was never the answer. The girl lifted Wednesday and put her down on the ground and scooted closer to the Slytherin. "My mom would tell me that I should never hide my feelings. She always encouraged talking things through, even when it was difficult. I'm not asking you to do so, but I'm glad you never hide your true self from me. You're Vivien. That's who you are right? The girl I met on the train with Lottie and Sam?" She asked.

Vivien nodded furiously, tears coming out of her eyes. "I am. I am Vivien Bulstrode!" She exclaimed. Aster smiled, and the two girls sat side by side, watching as Wednesday was soon chasing a butterfly.

* * *

"This is an OUTRAGE!" The man spoke to Minerva. "HOW IS THAT BOY ALLOWED TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR OTHER STUDENTS WHEN HE ASSAULTED MY CHILD?!" Mr. Bulstrode was a plump fellow, tall as well with long wavy dark brown hair and a thick beard that he seemed proud of.

"Now Mr. Bulstrode, that's a little excessive. He didn't assault anyone-" Minerva said but was cut off. "HE PURPOSELY AND MALICIOUS WENT AFTER MY DAUGHTER, HELD HER UP WITH MAGIC, AND PURPOSEFULLY PULLED DOWN HER SKIRT AND UNDERWEAR! HOW DOES THAT NOT COUNT AS ASSAULT TO YOU!"

"I'm sorry this happened, but we've already taken away his privileges around the school," Minerva stated to speak but was cut off once more by Mr. Bulstrode, "So he doesn't get to be on the Quidditch team?! Oh boo-hoo! What a lost!" The man spoke. "He needs to be made an example of!"

"Now hold on," Harry spoke. "My son may have done something horrible, but he's been punished enough."

"And who let you teach here? You're probably the one who's allowed him to get away with vile things!" Mr. Bulstrode stated. He handed letters to the Headmistress, "Vivien has been writing to me every day since the term started of how much she and her friends have been bullied by that James boy! I'm contacting all of their parents and informing them of this behavior if their children haven't done so already."

"Sir you can't!" Harry said.

"Why not?" Mr. Bulstrode asked. Harry looked away uneasy, "it's classified."

"See?! This is exactly why parents and Aurors should not be teaching students! They'll be treated like hardened criminals!"

"Now see here-" Harry began to speak.

"GENTLEMEN ENOUGH!" Minerva shouted over them. "As school policy, we've settled this manner. James is prohibited from all activities outside of his classwork and will be heavily supervised. Mr. Bulstrode, your daughter I assure you, is very much welcomed here at Hogwarts."

"If I hear anymore incident involving my daughter, I'll be withdrawing her from this school and placing her elsewhere. Her magical education is important but so is her safety and well-being," he stated.

The man seemed to be calmed down at the moment, and he looked at the two, "I can't honestly believe that this even happened. That boy has to be a sociopath or something! One more incident like this and everyone will hear of it," the man spoke and left the office.

Harry sighed once the man was out of the room. Minerva was furious as well, "well Potter, I don't know how you plan on punishing your son, but it better be effective."

"I don't know what to do with him anymore. It's like he doesn't care what happens to him," Harry admitted.

"You have to do something soon, or else he'll be expelled from Hogwarts, and his wand shattered. You wouldn't want that would you?"

"No, but you gave me an idea," Harry said as he got up from his seat and headed to James's scheduled class.

* * *

Professor Denbright was in the lesson about changing a smaller object to a more massive object to the second-yes Slytherins and Gryffindors when Harry Potter stormed in the classroom. He went straight to James, "come with me right now!" He said, and when James raised an eyebrow and was about to speak up, Harry grabbed him by the ear and began dragging James away from the other students.

He let go as soon as they were out of the classroom and Harry told him to keep walking. Harry led James to Harry's office and with a sound muffler outside placed outside the room, James's punishment commenced. "This attitude of yours and toward other students ends right now," Harry stated. "You're on in-school suspension which means no Quidditch whatsoever and no magic," he stated. Harry had his hand out, "give me your wand James."

James was baffled, "what?! No Quidditch and no magic?! At a magic school? Come on dad!"

"Wand. Now. Do not make me say it a third time," Harry's green eyes burned with anger. James stared at his father, unmoving. "No. You don't scare me."

Harry's hand moved without a second, and Harry slapped his son across the face, which took James by surprise. Harry shifted and swiped the new wand he had purchased for his son in late August, holding it and said, "you are on thin ice that is cracking James. One more step out of line and you're expelled from Hogwarts, and this wand is forever shattered. Do you understand?" Harry stated.

James looked bewildered, but he spoke, "why? Because that thing was exposed for what he truly is? That's not fair!" Harry went over and placed the wand in a box and placed an enchantment on the box so it couldn't be opened by anyone else except for him. "That is not how you speak to anyone! That 's, and I'm starting to wonder if you want to be like him! Huh! Is that it?! Do you want to be like that man?!"

"If you mean my father and yeah! At least he's free from you!"

"He's in Azkaban James! You seriously want to be where he is!?"

"If it's away from you, yeah, I think I would rather be there then here," he said sternly.

Harry's eyes held a sting of pain in them, as his own child was like this. "I tried my best to raise you as a single parent," James rolled his eyes, "yeah, and I'm sure all the people who babysat me while you were at work know how hard you did raise me."

"You are an entitled little brat, and it's time you've learned your lesson. So no, you won't be going to Hogsmeade on your birthday, you will be serving detention," Harry said. James scoffed, "yeah, like you saying it means anything. That Aster brat was supposed to have it, and yet she's off scoff free. Why should I expect any different?" James said.

Harry went silent, deciding to even to answer that with a response. Instead, he stares coldly at the soon-to-be thirteen-year-old blonde boy. "Okay James, do what you will…see what happens," he said and smirked, "without your wand, you're at least no longer a threat to any other innocent students," he said.

James's eyes narrowed painfully, "fine…I hope you never find her then," James turned and stormed out of the office. Harry's eyes widen in horror as it suddenly dawned on him.

James had the Marauder's Map!

Harry went after his son, calling out to him. James turned, and a smirk that sent shivers down Harry's spine appeared on the boy's face. It resembled a certain Malfoy. "James Sirius Potter. What. Did. You. Do?" Harry approached the smirking boy.

"I just assured my inheritance," he said and headed down the stairs of the tower. Harry's eyes widen, his right eye twitching as he couldn't believe how evil his own flesh and blood was. James had an inheritance to both the Malfoy name and the Potter name as the eldest and only living direct relative of both family's wealth. James would be the wealthiest wizard in Great Britain.

Harry would assure that it would never happen now.

* * *

The school went utterly silent the next day when James walked into the dining hall. Everyone noted that he was sporting a red mark across his cheek, but the Slytherin male ignored them as he went to the Slytherin table. It was notable was that all the Slytherins who sat by him got up and moved away, moving to different tables at different houses.

As the other tables filled and casual conversations began, James realized how much he had messed up. Outing Vivien was the worst thing he had ever done.

Serenity Whitehair, Hufflepuffs Head Girl, have the boy a little glare as she stood turned her attention to the kids in front of her who were asking for some last-minute help on homework. Aster was trying to get some help as she still wasn't great at studying in general.

"I just don't get what the difference between a pixie and a fairy are," Aster commented in frustration.

Serenity only nodded and explained," pixies are smaller and more mischievous, and fairies are more human-like in appearance." Aster slammed her head in her book for being so dumb.

As they studied, the morning Owls came in and began delivering letters and packages from home. A barn owl can in and dropped a package off for Aster. She caught it with ease, and as a few more boxes things were being delivered, she saw that Ace got a package as well.

It actually felt like an early Christmas to get a package.

Aster opened it after seeing it was from her mom, and she practically jumped out of her seat to dive into it. Aster pulled a box of homemade cookies that smelt fresh, and she pulled out a bag of muggle-brand named candy like Snickers and Reese's.

Ace pulled out his item and when he saw was his mother's Apple tart be was excited as well. Though what amazed everyone was the thick stack of papers he gotten that took up most of the box space. "What on Earth?" Serenity asked as she saw the stack. Ace rolled his eyes, "this is how much my dad writes in his letters. It's worst with texting, but since this place doesn't allow phones, this is what I have to deal with every time I eat a package." He said.

"What do you do with all that paper?" Serenity asked.

"Honestly, use it at fire filler," Ace answered. "What is useful, ya know, his actual words, I'll keep, but I don't need the recipe to a pudding dish and how it should only be served on a Tuesday! He doesn't understand that he's doing a lot of unnecessary writing for nothing."

"Maybe he misses you?" Aster questioned.

"He can miss me all he wants, so I do not need the entire book of quotes from a dead man!" Ace reiterated.

Sam over and sat next to Aster, "sup?" He asked as noticed that the Slytherin table was empty except for one lone person. "What did I miss?" He asked.

Ace shook his head, "don't ask."

Before Sam could ask again, Aster asked, "how was your doctor's appointment?" Sam quickly changed gears, "well my hearing is doing better than ever, and I can speak better," He said. "It is it always weird to hear your voice back to in a recording or is that just me?"

"No, it's weird for everyone," Ace answered. "I think it's because we all hear our voices differently when we speak so hearing back to us make it even worse."

"Yeah. Totally know that feeling!" Aster agreed.

As the conversations continued, the bell began to ring, alerting the students it was time for class. Ace was actually excited, and Aster asked, "why?"

"It's broomstick flying day!"

"It is?!" Aster asked, as though she had been dreading it.

* * *

Madam Hooch was someone not to mess with. Aster first saw the yellow eyes, and she automatically remembered that scene from the Christmas Story with the bully kid who had yellow eyes.

"Good morning class!" She walked between the students, twenty Ravenclaws, and Twenty Hufflepuffs all lines up facing each other.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson. Now I want you to step beside your brooms and with your right hand, say 'up.'" She said. The kids stepped forward, and when they began calling for their brooms, Lottie was the first one who actually had hers come to her hand immediately. Some of the students struggled, but Aster's was the last one who had a tough time with her broom. It would shake and quiver up slowly, no matter how hard Aster cried "up" before it smacked her in the face. Aster held her face, but luckily nothing was bleeding, so the lesson continued.

As they mounted their brooms, they were to float a little and then touch down. Aster held her broomstick tight as she jumped and landed on her feet. Sam, who was directly parallel to Aster, saw her shaking hands and stiffened demeanor. While Lottie was a natural and Ace and Sam were adequate for their very first flying lesson, Aster was terrified and didn't want to fly.

"Hey, Aster...what's wrong?" Ace asked when he saw the sheet look of horror in her eyes.

Aster snapped out of her fright and tried to shake off her worries, "nothing! Just the jitters!"

Sam looked over and asked, "who says 'jitters' anymore?" Aster flushed a bit at the comment.

As the flying lesson continued, her broom refused to fly, and if she did, it would only last for a few seconds before she would hit the ground. By the time lessons were over, the girl would be covered in bruises.

* * *

"I can't believe you couldn't even get off the ground!" Sam spoke as he, Ace, Aster, and Lottie, were on their way to the Ravenclaw tower to hang out for a bit. Aster blushed a bit, holding onto the side of the staircase as they headed up. "I just…I like being on the ground," she said. Lottie laughed a bit, "I love flying! I always dreamt of flying with a broomstick!"

"I mean, it's fun," Ace said as he tried to make Aster feel a little better since she couldn't even get off the ground. Sam and Lottie got off the staircase, and as Ace took his last step, Aster was still climbing up, and that was when the stairs started to move, Aster tried to hurry and jump off, but she was smacked by the railing. She hung on to the staircase for dear life until she saw that it was about to reach the next podium to step in to. Aster had to let go or else her fingers would have been crushed. Aster began falling, screaming as she went down the center of the staircases back first.

Aster was suddenly stopped by someone casting, "Arresto Momentum." The blonde stopped suddenly, mere inches from the ground and when she was dropped, Aster turned over on the floor, trying to get up. Her legs felt like jelly, and she was shaking visibly. "Never…never again…no more heights….nope, never," she was mumbling to herself as Serenity, who had just gotten out of class, went over and help Aster up. The girl thought the older Hufflepuff used the spell that saved her life, but it was Harry Potter from a different floor who had saved the girl's life.


	12. Chapter 12: The Obvious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! (At least those who are reading this on the day this chapter was released). 
> 
> Well, this chapter contains a Harry x Ron moment. Yeah, I know right? "But I thought this was Draco x Harry? Isn't Ron married to Hermione? What gives?" Well, that was a past relationship. It's not mentioned in this chapter, but Ron and Hermione are going through a divorce (kinda obvious if Ron's sleeping with Harry).

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 12**

Lavender was going through some boxes sent from the U.S. She was glad she had these forwarded in advanced before she and Aster were detained at the airport. The woman was going through some boxes because she knew Aster was starting to feel homesick from her letters. As she is going through one of her older boxes, she pulled out a particular item. A velvet-like cloak that she never thought she’d seen again.

The Invisibility Cloak.

Dark memories flashed in her eyes, and she looked away from it for a moment, only to catch sight of a photo album. She reached over, picking up the cheaply made album and opened it, revealing precious photos. Aster’s baby photos, her school photos, events in her life such as Holidays, Birthdays and everything else in-between. At the moment, she looked at the cloak once more. Seeing the photos reaffirmed her decisions in life. She would never regret any of her choices.

As she flipped through the pages of the album, she paused at a recent photo she had added. It was at an ice-skating competition, and Aster’s hands have glowed and produced a light trail from her hands. She got disqualified for “having lights on the ice,” but she would have one if she hadn’t created some magic. Lavender felt so proud and fearful at that moment that day. Proud because she was a witch, fearful because it would lead down to the events that would change their life.

She flipped to a page that had a photo of the two of them. Lavender had hazel brown eyes with caramel brown hair. Aster’s grey eyes sparkled in the image, and her blonde hair shined by comparison. No one asked if they were mother and daughter. Thankfully they bore enough of a resemblance so that people assumed she took after her father, no questions asked.

And she did look like her father.

The woman closed the album and looked over, standing up and holding the cloak. She began laughing to herself. She felt secure in her position as Aster’s mother and why shouldn’t she? She raised Aster. All by herself. No one helped. Her daughter was hers and no one else’s.

Especially not Harry Potter’s.

A howl outside her house brought her attention back, and she looked up to the night sky. A full moon was coming closer with each passing day.

* * *

Harry Potter sat in Hogsmeade, drinking himself into depression once more. Ron Weasley, his oldest mate, sat next to him. “Sorry to hear about James. Not like Rose is any better nowadays,” Ron commented. “She certainly takes after her mother in terms of attitude, I’ll tell you what. Be lucky you don’t have a daughter.”  
Harry glared at Ron coldly, but Ron shut his mouth, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I hope you never lose a child Ron,” Harry stated. “Because it feels like a part of you will forever be gone, and nothing can ever fill it.”

“You mean…Lily?” Ron asked. Harry nodded. “She’s somewhere…she’s close. It’s like, I can feel her nearby, and she’s just out of reach.” The black-haired man grabbed his head, gripping his long hair.

Ron chugged down another butterbeer, and looked over, “do you think taking this job was smart? I mean…if she was born on September first, wouldn’t she go to Hogwarts until next year?”

“I’ll be working there next year if I must,” Harry said. “I’m just covering all possible leads.”

“What leads though? Didn’t the trail go a cold year ago?” Ron asked.

Harry sat up, sluggishly so, “I interview a few students who look like possible candidates, but all the spells I used turned up nothing! And James ripped the Marauder’s Map, so it’s completely useless!” Harry exclaimed, completely stressed out.

Ron thought for a moment, “well why don’t you test out the least likely suspects? After all, if you eliminated the possible, shouldn’t the impossible be the only choice?”

Harry thought for a moment, “I suppose that’s something, but how am I going to investigate over hundreds of children? McGonagall is already on my case because of interviewing five kids,” he said. “I’m told to just back off from it.”

Ron sighed and patted his mate on the back of the back, “I hear ya mate, but sometimes you gotta take a break. You’ve been investigating in whatever free time you had over the past eleven years. You’re not yourself any favors.”

“You don’t understand Ron,” Harry said, his jaw clenched, “I’m her mother. I’m the one who carried her for nine months, and I’m the one who experienced the love of his life rip her out of my stomach! You cannot even imagine the pain!” Harry grabbed his hair as he remembered the pain, and he held his stomach in painful remembrance. Ron seemed cold at the moment, but he sighed and said, “what are you expecting exactly when you see this girl?”

“A connection,” Harry said. His hand moved to his heart, “I picture her in my head and my heart. My hair…my eyes…such a smile that will make my spirits glow. I want her to know that I never once forgot about her. That she’s loved. That she has a family, who loves her. I don’t want her forgotten…or ignored…like how I was.”

Ron saw so much wrong with Harry’s statement. While not wrong, but there were significant flaws in how Harry’s research. “Harry, have you only been interviewing girls with black hair?”

“No…brown is also a choice,” Harry commented, “Brown eyes. Not many girls have green eyes since it’s rarer than blue.”

Ron reached over and smacked Harry upside his head, knocking him over on the ground. “Ow! Ron! Why did you do that?!” Harry asked as he tried to get up.

“Because you’re so close-minded! You’re only looking at dark haired girls!” Ron exclaimed and realized that what he said could be taken out of context. He pulled Harry up, and the two left the tavern after paying for their tab. Ron threw Harry’s arm out around his shoulder, and the two went to walk out for some fresh air.

Harry leaned against Ron, taking in the scent of his best friend. “You smell good man.”

Ron smirked, “you’re drunk horny again, aren’t you?”

“Maybe…but it has been a while,” Harry slurred.

“Last week isn’t a while ya know,” Ron commented.

Harry took control for a moment and threw Ron against the side of a building, “you know what I need,” he said. Ron wrapped his arms around the raven-haired, emerald-eyed best friend of his. “You wanna work for it or take it this time?” He asked.

“I wanna feel you inside me again,” Harry moaned, leaning in and beginning to kiss his neck. Ron laughed a bit, but Harry seemed to be in need. “Sounds like you’re working for it anyways mate,” Ron laughed and pulled him away. “We need a room.”

“Hogwarts. I’ll sneak you in,” Harry said. “The castle is big enough to hide us, and no one will ever know.”

“Damn Harry, lead the way,” he said. As Harry led the way back to Hogsmeade and went through the secret entrance through Hogwarts, Ron commented, “I wish you have your invisibility cloak. That would be so helpful right now.”

“Don’t remind me,” Harry retorted.

* * *

“Win-ga-dum leviosa!” Aster exclaimed as she waved her wand. Though her spell didn’t seem to work once more. All she was trying to do was levitate an apple! How hard was this supposed to be?!

It was Sunday morning at Hogwarts, and this was one of the times that everyone had a day off. Gotta love weekends. Aster was practicing her wand waving, and while she got better control of her wand, it was casting spells that were difficult now.

As she was practicing, her friends were reading over material for some test that was coming up. Samuel was having difficulty with spells as well, but he was having difficulty saying the spells clearly. He was practicing enunciating the words. Though he was getting some studying help from Lottie, who, despite being a muggle-born, was very proficient in magical spells and magic in general.

Ace was with Vivien, and they were doing the written work for their Transfiguration class. Though as Vivien tried to concentrate, she was getting very annoyed and distracted by Aster. Vivien looked over and said, “you’re pronouncing it wrong!” Vivien went over and pulled out her wand. “It’s Wingardium Leviosa,” she said it correctly and levitate the apple. Aster still didn’t understand. “I am saying it! Right! I don’t hear a difference!”

“There is an _R_ and an _I_ in there!” Vivien exclaimed with great annoyance. 

Aster looked puzzled. Vivien sighed, ready to smack some sense into the blonde. Lottie stood up before that happened, “go sit down and rest. You’re overstressed.” Vivien went over, and Lottie took a breath, “now Aster, repeat after me. Win…Gard…Di…Um.”

The instant it was spelled out like that Aster felt like a dummy. She laughed nervously, “yeah…I totally knew that.” Aster smacked her face and took a breath to relax. She soon held her wand at the ready. “Wingardium Leviosa!” She exclaimed and began levitating the apple. Aster smiled proudly, jumping as she made the apple float. “I DID IT! I DID IT! I MADE THE APPLE FLOAT!”

Though as she was the only one jumping for joy, her friends only smiled a bit, except for Vivien. “Congratulations, you’re about a month behind from the rest of us in our entire class.” Vivien pointed out.

Aster’s smile dropped and said, “admittingly that was very hurtful…and you’re right,” she said, feeling uneasy now. She looked at her wand. Redwood with Dragon heartstring core. She remembered that shop owner saying that redwood wands were very powerful, but if her magic wasn’t powerful, what was the point in her having it? Lottie placed a hand on Aster’s back, “it’s okay Aster. You’re learning, and that’s the important part.”

Aster smiled meekly, “thanks, Lottie. That means a lot to me.”

“Wow Lottie, you’re like…extremely patient,” Ace commented.

“I should be if I wanna be a teacher one day,” Lottie said confidently.

“You want to be a teacher? You mean like a professor?” Samuel asked as she sat down. “Like a Hogwarts Professor?”

“Not really. I mean like a teacher in the muggle world,” Lottie commented. “My mom was a teacher, and now she’s Vice Principal for a school. I want to follow a similar path!”

Aster smiled, and soon the conversation changed to what all their parents did. Samuel’s mom worked as some doctor, and his dad was a collector of coins or something, Ace’s mom ran a shop in Ireland, and his dad worked for some brewery. Vivien’s parents were the most impressive though. Her mom was some scholar who invented some very popular potions, and her dad was some higher up in the Ministry of Magic. “So what do your parents do Aster?” Lottie asked.

Aster felt a little embarrassed, “well…my mom…before we got deported, she was a server at this place called Bob Evans,” she said. Her friends blinked in confusion. “Deported?”

“Y-yeah,” Aster flushed, “I consider myself an American but technically, I was born somewhere in Europe. My mom hasn’t exactly told me where, but I’m guessing in Charlestown since that’s where she’s from.”

“Wait, your mom is a server? As in a waitress?” Vivien asked in surprise. “That’s the same level as being a house elf,” she said sheepishly, but out of shame, more out of shock. “So, what about your dad?!” Vivien asked.

“I don’t have a dad,” Aster said with even more embarrassment. Lottie hugged her friend, “it’s okay to not have a dad Aster. I don’t have one either.”

“You don’t?” Aster asked.

“No. He left my mom before I was even born! Did that happen to you as well?” Lottie asked.

Aster shrugged, “I think he died. Mom gets very upset when I ask, so I don’t ask often. She also said his money helped a lot when I was younger. I guess he left her some while she was getting some treatments.”

“Treatments? Is she sick?” Ace was the one that asked. Aster covered her mouth, she had said too much. Her eyes turned watery though, and she nodded, “she was…but she’s better now. It’s just…it’s painful to talk about and I don’t need to ya know? Cause she’s all better now! She doesn’t have many, and she’s got her medicine now!” Aster proclaimed defensively.

“Aster, we’re not mad,” Sam said, “relax. We get it, your mom is single, and your dad died. It happens sometimes. We’re not judging you.”  
Aster felt her lips quiver a bit, and she nodded. Vivien looked over and asked, “what? Was that a serious subject for you? You think we would judge you because your mom was sick?”

Aster nodded, wiping her face, “when I was in ice skating classes, some of the older girls made fun of me because my mom would make my costumes and I had hand-me-down skates from the thrift store…my mom couldn’t afford much, but anything she gave me, I treasure it dearly. Even if she couldn’t make it to all my practices, she made it to all my competitions! That’s all that mattered to me!”

Lottie crossed her arms, “sounds like those girls were ungrateful puttana!”

The four kids looked at each other. “What does puttana mean?” Sam asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Lottie said.

Aster began giggling and felt much better. “Thanks, Lottie, that means a lot to me!” She said and hugged the Italian girl. Lottie stiffened up a bit, but she hugged her friend back.

Just another Sunday for these first years.

* * *

As Aster and her friends were entering the grand hall for lunch, one of the Gryffindors approached James, who for the last few weeks, have been keeping to himself. She was a red-haired girl with frizzy hair, unlike Marigold whose hair was perfect curls. “JAMES POTTER MALFOY! I REFUSE TO BE YOUR SISTER! REMEMBER THAT!” She said and grabbed the bowl of soup he had been eating and poured it on top of his head.

What surprised everyone was that he wasn’t doing anything to stand up for himself. He merely just sat there as the girl stormed off.

“Wow…what a Puttana,” Sam spoke in reaction.

“Actually, the word you’re looking for is Cagna,” Lottie corrected him.

“He must have done something else to someone else. Whatever he gets, he deserves,” Vivien said and sat down at the Ravenclaw table. As everyone else sat down, Aster was the last to sit down.

Aster sat down with her friends, raising an eyebrow, “I’m sorry, but did she call James Mallory?”

“No. Malfoy. Technically that’s his last name as well. His name is James Sirius Potter-Malfoy, but after what happened, Professor Potter must have legally dropped the Malfoy. Not that I blame him,” Vivien answered Aster.

Aster frowned, “that sounds like a mouthful, I can see why he dropped it.”

“What? What happened? Like even a divorce wouldn’t change a kid’s name that much,” Sam commented. His parents were divorced, and his last name was still Ewing.

“It wasn’t a divorce. It was attempted murder,” Marigold came from behind and sat next to Aster. “I guess you don’t know since you’re a Muggleborn and all, but everyone in the wizarding community knows this story,” she said. “Isn’t that right Vivien?”

The Slytherin girl rolled her eyes, “Yeah. Everyone knows this story.”

Aster tilted her head, “what story?”

“The story of the Missing Malfoy Mystery,” Marigold said and set the mood. Vivien rolled her eyes once more, “that’s not what it’s called. It’s called The Missing Potter Baby Case.” Marigold glared, “yeah well my name is better because of alliteration, now let me tell the story!” The red-haired child snapped at the inky-haired girl.

Marigold began to tell the story that everyone in the wizarding community knew, “around eleven years ago, Harry Potter and his husband were expecting their second child. I’m sure this will blow you muggle-born's minds, but men can have babies like women can thanks to special potions and even some old fashion magic mishaps, but as Harry was entering his ninth month of pregnancy, he was attacked, and the baby was ripped out of his stomach, all by his husband, Draco Malfoy!” She said.

Aster covered her mouth with one hand, looking horrified, “You mean…” she moved her right hand over her lower stomach, making a slice motion. Marigold nodded. “Why do you think Harry Potter is even here right now? Teaching? It’s because he’s looking for his daughter.”

“HOLD ON!” Sam stood up, “We’re getting WAY off track. You’re telling me that MEN can get PREGNANT?!”

“Yes. But it’s only super rare if it happens on its own and you need to be on special potions for it to happen in a majority of those cases,” Marigold said. “So, if your straight, you’re fine.”

“How do you know this stuff Marigold?” Lottie asked.

“Easy. I have two dads,” Marigold replied simply enough. Everyone went quiet, and Marigold rolled her eyes, “whatever. At least my parents wanted me. How many of ya can actually say that you were some accident? I’m looking at you, Lottie. Ya know, Bevo Lottie, got more head then she got body!”

Lottie blinked uneasily, feeling guilty for being alive all of a sudden. Marigold went skipping along. Lottie stood up, feeling uneasy at that comment, “excuse me...I need to go finish an assignment,” she said as she felt really uncomfortable at the moment.

Sam stood up, about to go after her, but the Ravenclaw boy was just a little too slow. He turned to Marigold, angrily, “why are you such a fucking bitch?!” Students from other tables gasped as they heard that. Marigold crossed her arms, looking at the Ravenclaw Muggleborn, “because I can be and you can’t stop me.”

Aster stood up and held Sam back, knowing he would have smacked her, “Sam! You can’t! You’ll get in trouble!” Ace grabbed his other arm and held him back. Marigold only smirked and waved bye at the group of misfits. They let him go, and he turned to them, “why did you stop me?”

“Cause I don’t want you to get into trouble,” Aster said.

“Yeah, and double standards are a bitch to deal with. Girls can hit guys all they want, but the moment a guy hits a girl, well your up a creek with a paddle,” Ace said.

“That’s stupid! She’s the one who’s provoking it!” Sam said.

“No one looks good smacking a girl. No matter what world we're in. Magical or not.” Ace said.

“How about we don’t hit here with fists?” Vivien suggested. “I’m thinking more of a magical way,” she said with a devilish smirk.

Sam smirked, “I’m listening.”

“No! Absolutely no! I don’t want anyone getting in trouble! The best thing we can do is be there for her and make sure she feels better.”

Ace nodded in agreement, “you’re right Aster. Now, why don’t you go make your special snickerdoodle cookies? Remember the ones you shared with us? Lottie loved them, so go make her a batch,” he said.

“Really?! I hope the House Elves won’t mind me being down there for some baking!” Aster said as she hurried out of the dining hall with a skip in her step.

Ace turned and with an evil grin asked, “so what were you thinking in terms of revenge Vivi?” He asked.


	13. Chapter 13: The Unlucky One

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 13**

Aster skipped along the hallways, carrying a shoebox with the words “cookies” crudely written on it in marker she had brought with her from home. The girl was on her way to visit Lottie, who was hiding in her dorm. Getting to the dorm itself involved climbing stairs, and Aster still remembered the fall she had earlier that week. She had been easing herself from that fear slowly, but when the stairs moved, she hung on for dear life most of the time, not wanting to move until it was at a complete stop and she would hurry off the stairs. Aster also made sure to never look down because she would feel faint if she did.

As Aster approached the dorms, taking their spiral staircase which thankfully didn’t move like other stairs, she approached an arched door with a golden knocker on it that held a golden eagle on it. Aster reached up to use the knocker, only to be taken surprised by the eagle coming to life for a moment to asked, “What room can be eaten?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Aster blinked, very confused.

“Answer the question, and I’ll allow you inside. What room can be eaten?” The bronze eagle asked once more.

The girl thought for a moment. She began to speak aloud her thought process, “well…I know you can eat in the kitchen and the dining hall. But I don’t know what room you can physically eat? Maybe if it’s a candy room, like in that story with Hansel and Gretel and the house was edible so…a room that’s made of candy?” Aster answered.

“No. That is incorrect,” the knocker confirmed.

Aster shook a bit in frustration. Though the harder she thought about it, the bigger a headache she was giving herself. The riddle seemed simple enough, but knowing how intelligent that Lottie and Sam were, she wondered how on Earth did they always answer these questions every day or even multiple times a day. Aster would go insane. She was glad that the Hufflepuff dorms were more accessible since you only needed to know the Hufflepuff song and tap it out correctly. “Well, you can’t eat a room unless it’s made of candy or something edible!” Aster was frustrated and yelled at the door. She turned on her heel, ready to go downstairs and try another time again, only to hear the door open behind her. Aster turned around, her eyes went wide, “did I get the answer right!?”

Lottie poked her head out and having heard everything, she said, “no. I just opened the door.” She said and allowed Aster inside. Aster hurried in, carrying in her box of cookies with her, and as soon as the door was closed, Lottie said, “the answer to that riddle is Mushroom by the way.”

* * *

Sam, Vivien, and Ace all gathered around the beaker and saw it change from green to clear. Vivien grabbed the vial carefully and began to pour the clear potion into what looked like cake batter. “This ought to get Marigold,” Vivien said as she started to mix the potion in with the cake batter. The three students were hidden in an abandoned girl’s bathroom on the first floor.

“And you sure she won’t die from this right?” Ace asked skeptically but also in concern since they didn’t want to accidentally murder a student.

“Course not,” Vivien said. “It’ll just give her a new complexion is all,” Vivien stated as she finished mixing the batter and poured the batter into what looked like a cupcake pan. She back up and Sam pulled out his wand, “Coquamus velox.” Samuel said, waving his wand and the batter instantly cooked to perfection as though the batter had been put in an oven and baked. Sam smirked, “that should be just right,” he said. “I still can’t believe that no one else has ever thought to just making up spells like that.”

“Most are content with what they have; besides, we have other spells or creatures to do that sort of remedial work,” Vivien answered as she saw the twelve cupcakes perfectly baked. “Well, we only need the one. What should we do with the rest?” She asked.

The three thought for a moment, and Sam suddenly said, “well, you still haven’t gotten your revenge on James yet? Wanna give him one of these?”

“No. He’s suffering enough,” Vivien said.

“Well, anyone else given us any troubles?” Sam asked.

Ace smirked, “well, a certain professor has been a pain for a lot of the students. Maybe we don’t punish the apple, but the tree where the apple plopped down from?”

“I can’t let you do that,” an unfamiliar voice popped up, and from the cupcakes, a specter came up. She was a ghost who was in a Ravenclaw uniform. Her had blunt bangs with pigtails and round glasses.

“Who are you?” Ace asked.

“Well, that’s rude for a Hufflepuff to asked,” the ghost girl spoke. “So rude indeed.”

“You’re Moaning Myrtle, aren’t you?” Sam asked. “I’ve heard of you. You died when the Chamber of Secrets was opened many years ago, didn’t you?” Sam asked. The ghost rolled her eyes, “someone publishes a book about Hogwarts, and suddenly everyone knows all your secrets,” she said. “But yes, I am.”

“Why don’t you want us to pull a prank on Professor Potter?” Vivien asked.

The ghost seemed reluctant to answer, “I won’t answer in such a rude tone. Besides, I don’t know him as Professor Potter. I only knew him as Harry, back when he was a student here at Hogwarts,” she said. Though she smiled a bit, “you three kind of remind me of him and his friends. Especially the one in the glasses,” she said, looking at Samuel.

The three kids looked at each other, Sam feeling uneasy as the ghost looked at him, as though she was a lovestruck girl. She laughed at Sam’s stunned expression. “Don’t worry, you’re far too alive for my tastes, but if you want to visit my toilet someday soon, I won’t be opposed to it.” She said.

Vivien threw her hands in the air, “okay let’s go! We’re done here!” She said and began rushing out. Ace grabbed the warm pan of cupcakes and Sam was clutching the rest of the supplies as they scurried out of the bathroom.

* * *

“Thanks for bringing me something sweet, but I don’t really,” Lottie said, her voice trailing off as she saw Aster’s gray eyes dim down, as though she was being kicked. The brunette soon cleared her voice, “I mean, it’s just so thoughtful that you took the time to bake me something just because I was upset,” she corrected herself and took the box.

Aster smiled, “I hope you enjoy them. You can even share them with your other dormmates if you want!”

Lottie blushed a bit, “thank you again, but I don’t have other dormmates exactly.”

Aster looked around, seeing the other beds, but she didn’t know what Lottie meant by that. Lottie sighed, “I’m not friends with many in my House I mean.” Aster was taken back by that. “But you’re so nice and helpful. I don’t see how you don’t have more friends?” Aster asked.

“It’s because a lot of Ravenclaws don’t exactly…like me,” Lottie said. “While we’re nice to each other, we’re not friends. I’m never asked out for study sessions or anything. In fact, the only Ravenclaw who likes me is Sam.” The blushing intensified for the girl. Aster smiled, “that’s good that you two get along so well!”

Nikolette laughed a bit, “yeah. He’s always so nice. I like watching him tinker with some gadgets when it’s just the two of us. I would sometimes peek behind my books to watch him,” she said. Aster’s smile grew. “YOU LIKE HIM!”

Lottie froze for a moment. “NO! Aster! Not like that!” Aster kept staring intensely at the Ravenclaw. Though soon enough, Lottie nodded, “maybe it’s something like that.”

“I KNEW IT!” Aster clapped her hands together and was giddily at Lottie having a crush. The brunette leaned over and over Aster’s mouth. “SHUSH!” She let go and looked in Aster’ eyes directly, “You cannot tell a soul Aster! No one! No person! No ghosts! And no even writing it down in a diary for later evidence! Please!” She begged. Aster frowned, not that she was the kind to spill secrets, but she wondered why this was so secretive. Wasn’t it okay to have a crush? Then again, Aster understood what it would be like if someone found out her crush. Aster nodded and soon held out her right pinky, “pinky promise!” Nikolette nodded and reached over with her right hand, and they interlocked pinkies together, making a pinky promise to her.

* * *

The next day, Aster walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she saw a bunch of students eating cupcakes. The cupcakes had orange icing on it with black sprinkles on it. Aster assumed it was for Halloween. Back in America, the schools always did something special for Halloween whether it was classroom parties to costume parades and contests. It didn’t surprise her to see people, especially witches and wizards, to be excited for the Holiday.

She hurried to see if there was any left but soon saw all of them were gone. Professor Potter had one cupcake in his hand, nodding in approval. “These are excellent Aster,” the professor said.

“Really? I wish I had gotten one,” Aster commented under her breathe.

“Now don’t me modest Aster. We all know you’re the little baker in the Hufflepuff House. You’re always down there baking something,” Harry said, knowingly.

Aster raised an eyebrow, “I do bake, but I haven’t made cupcakes in a-”

Marigold screamed as she saw her skin go grow hideous boils. Soon though, other kids who had the cupcakes began to sprouting boils, and Aster watched as boils started to pop up on Professor Potter’s face. She backed away, and Harry tried to get the class to calm down. They would be able to fix this quickly, or rather, Madam Pomfrey would be able to fix this all. Marigold was the one who was extensively upset over this, as the boils were painful to look at as well as dealing it. “WHO DID THIS?!” Her dark blue eyes looked around the room and saw Aster Campbell, completely free from boils. “YOU! ASS-TURD! YOU DID THIS?!”

Aster turned to Marigold, shaking defensively. “No! I didn’t! I would never poison anyone!”

“YOU LIAR! YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!” Marigold exclaimed.

Aster was soon getting yelled at by other students who were also accusing her of doing this to them. She felt backed up into a corner as Harry grabbed her arm, making sure she couldn’t escape, “Everyone who ate the cupcakes, go to the infirmary now! You will come with me!” He said and began dragging Aster out of the classroom. “Professor! I didn’t do anything!” Aster tried to defend herself as she was begging dragged through the halls. Ace caught sight of this as they were passing him. Ace saw the boils on the professor’s face, and he felt immediate guilt. “Oh, crap.” He started to rush after them, “Professor! Professor Potter! It wasn’t her! Professor!” Ace shouted, but he was ignored.

Ace had to hurry to tell Vivien and Sam of what happened. They couldn’t let Aster get in trouble for something they did.

* * *

Headmistress McGonagall was a woman never to be taken lightly. Aster shook as she was being lectured by the Headmistress, who had listened to Harry’s testimony of how half the class was now getting treated for boils and once he had left to get treated himself, Aster didn’t even feel like she had a voice anymore.

“This is outrageous Miss Campbell! You could have done a lot more than simply giving students boils and pimples if you had made the potion incorrectly. Not to mention the use of potions against fellow students! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Aster cried out, obviously scared. “Why are you not listening to me?”

“You have people saying you did! They said they witness you baking in the kitchens since you’ve been here. You know they’re forbidden from students for this very reason! That’s a violation of rules right there Miss Campbell,” McGonagall pointed it.

“I know, and that’s been wrong of me,” Aster admitted, “but I never baked cupcakes! It was always cookies! I made cookies for my friend Lottie yesterday because she was sad! I would never use baked goods as a weapon Headmistress! Please!” Was she going to be expelled?! Oh god! What if she was?! How would her mother react! What would this mean for her future?

The headmistress raised an eyebrow and sighed, “well, you’re not the first student to ever misuse a potion…though to inflict intentional harm on others, that’s inexcusable.”

“I think she’s innocent,” Aster looked over to the sound of the low voice. It was a portrait of a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. He wore black robes in the portrait, and all Aster could think was this man may have looked like a bat, but he was the only one on her side. McGonagall approached the portrait, “and why do you believe her Snape?”

“Because I remembered hearing something among the other portraits of how a Hufflepuff girl couldn’t even answer the easiest riddle that the Ravenclaw knocker had to offer,” he commented. Aster blushed madly at that. Snape continued, “and they also said that she didn’t leave the Ravenclaw Tower until a late hour. If she had made the tainted desserts, they would not have been ready for an early morning class,” he said before adding, “and when have Potter’s accusations been proven true the first time around?”  
McGonagall was speechless for a moment, and she looked at the girl with a different look in her eyes. Aster didn’t seem like the girl who would harm others willingly. Then again, no one ever suspected Tom Riddle to becoming the infamous Voldemort, now did they?

There was a knock on the door, and Professor Denbright stepped inside. “Headmistress,” she said. “What Professor? I’m in the middle of punishing a student.”

The blonde professor walked in, and behind her was Samuel Ewing, Vivien Bulstrode, and Aeswyn “Ace” Horne. Aster’s eyes widen as she saw the guilty expression on their faces. “Headmistress, these three have confessed to the incident.”

McGonagall gandered at the three students, and asked, “why would you do something so horrid?”

“It was a prank,” Ace muttered in shame.   
Vivien stepped up, “we were…we only meant to get Marigold for her mean behavior. We didn’t intend for all those students to eat them. We certainly didn’t expect Aster to get wrapped up and blamed for something we did.”

“In fairness, she was excused because Professor Potter has something out for her!” Ace also announced. “He’s always on her case for things, and she’s always innocent. She may have been baking, but those were only cookies, and she only baked them because she thought it would make people around her happy,” Sam jumped into Aster’s defense as well.

Aster smiled a bit, meekly as she wiped her tears. She then looked at the Headmistress, who now looked ashamed of herself. The Headmistress asked, “Is what they’re saying true Aster? Has Professor Potter been harassing you?” The Hufflepuff girl nodded, “he hasn’t in a while, but I’m not learning anything from him,” there was no malice in Aster’s voice.

“Well I’ll have a talk to him about this,” the headmistress said, “and you can go now, Miss Campbell. I’m sorry for the confusion,” she said. Aster stood up. As she began to walk out, she looked over at her friends, giving them a look that affirmed their friendships still. “Professor Denbright, can you escort Miss Campbell to her next class?”

“Yes Headmistress,” the professor said and walked out with the young girl.

The three would be receiving the same lecture as Aster, only this time they would be punished.


	14. Chapter 14: The Three-Legged Rabbit and the Sun

**Shooting Star**

  
**Chapter 14**

Aster walked with the professor and mostly was trying to calm her racing heart still. She never knew what anxiety was like until then. Denbright smiled and said, “how about an early lunch?” She asked Aster. “Early lunch?”

“Yeah, somewhere peaceful. Near the gatekeeper’s house should be nice and it’s fairly warm outside so we can have a picnic!” The professor suggested. Aster smiled a bit, “as much of an offer that is; I don’t think missing any more classes will put me in any favors with anyone else,” Aster said.

“You’re a people pleaser?” It sounded more on a statement. Aster was a little perplexed. “It’s okay sometimes to want to let those who we care about that we care about them. The two walked over an opening and saw the fields that led down to the lake. “Aster, allow me to give you some advice, from one Hufflepuff to another,” she said. Aster tilted her head in confusion. “You were a Hufflepuff professor?”

“Yes. Shocking right?” She asked, teasingly. Aster froze, hoping she didn’t offend the professor. “No! Of course not!” The Professor still smiled, “it’s fine. But I was. I was a sweet innocent Hufflepuff like you, but our house doesn’t seem to have much of a reputation outside of being the butt of most jokes since we’re not brave like Gryffindors, Ambitious as Slytherins and as intelligent as Ravenclaws,” The professor admitted with some snark in her playful tone. As they gazed over the opening, some birds flew past them. Aster looked over and saw the sun shining, “when was the last time the sun shined so brightly?” The first year asked suddenly.

Professor Denbright laughed a bit, “There is a story I once heard a few years ago about the sun. It’s a Native American story, but there was a three-legged rabbit who made himself a leg out of wood,” Aster listened to the story with some intrigue. The professor continued, “one day, the sun came out, and the rabbit thought the Sun was too hot for comfort. So, he went to see what could be done. He went east at night to the place where the Sun would rise. When the Sun was halfway up the Rabbit shot it with an arrow. As the Sun lay wounded on the ground, the Rabbit took the white of the Sun’s eyes and made the clouds. He made the black part of the eyes into the sky, the kidneys into stars, and the liver into the Moon, and the heart into the night. "There!" said the Rabbit, "You will never be too hot again,”” Professor Denbright finished her story, and Aster was left stunned. The blonde professor turned to the girl, “what do you think that story means?”

Aster was a little perplexed. When she finally realized that she was asked a question, she didn’t know how to answer. She felt uneasy and honestly a little embarrassed to answer. The teacher merely patted Aster on her back, “sometimes some stories don’t have lessons or morals. They’re just interesting things to hear in passing.”

Aster blinked twice and shook her head, “no…I think there is something to be learned from a story like that. Even if it seems gruesome,” she said.

“Oh? What’s that?” Denbright asked, eyeing them curiously.

“Well, the bunny was able to be resourceful. He made a leg out of some wood, and he was able to make the world a little better, even if it required the sun to be…” she trailed off, feeling very uneasy finishing that statement. Denbright smiled, “well it’s a good thing that it’s only folklore from the States. There are so many of those kinds of stories that if you tried to remember all of them, I think you would lose sanity,” Denbright joked. Aster laughed uneasily from that comment.

“You’re from the states aren’t you Aster? Have you ever heard of that story?” Denbright asked. Aster shook her head, “no never. I know about John Henry and the Mothman in West Virginia,” the girl answered honestly. “My mom didn’t tell much about the magical world before we left Virginia,” Aster admitted.

“She must have had her reasons. Is she a muggle?”

“No. A witch. She actually attended Hogwarts herself. A Gryffindor. Her name is Lavender Campbell. Though that’s her married name now. I think I’ve heard some people call her Brown. Lavender Brown,” Aster admitted. The smile from the professor died instantly. Aster saw the expression change and was very confused as to why. “Why…is that a bad thing?” The female professor turned away, unknowing of what to say in truth. She looked uneasily, “you might need to have a talk with Professor Potter. He knew her when she attended Hogwarts,” she suggested.

Aster frowned, looking away, “I don’t want anything to do with Professor Potter. My mom is my mom, and that’s what’s important to me. I don’t need to know about what she was like around my age.”

“It’s not like that Aster,” Professor Denbright said and with a sigh continued “go to the east wing, and in the display case, you’ll understand why hearing the name Lavender is rather concerning.”

Aster stood there silently, “I don’t care. I know she’s my mom and nothing will change that.” The bells of the school rang loudly, signaling that class ended and now it was lunch. The professor approached Aster and said, “please come with me,” she said. Aster felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. The woman turned to Aster, who remained still. “I’m not asking Aster,” she gave a look that only those who knew how to talk to children and also knew how to manipulate them. Aster soon began following the professor.

* * *

In the East end of the School, an area of School that Aster did not visit so often, she was taken to a glass case. In the glass case there were things such as plagues and awards for various students, but one of the larger plates on the wall next to the case that had student’s photos and names on them. Aster’s gray eyes skimmed the names, seeing “Fred Weasley” on the wall and Aster thought she had seen him around the school as a ghost. “That’s Weasel!” Aster suddenly realized. As she looked at the other names, she saw the names of Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, along with some others names that blurred the quicker Aster passed them.

Though one name made her freeze in her tracks.

One of the student’s photos was one Lavender Brown, aged seventeen. Aster had never seen a picture of her mom in her youth before. Seeing it like this clearly made Aster feel self-conscious. Professor Denbright was quiet for a moment, allowing Aster to absorb the information being presented to her. When the girl turned, she just asked, “so my mom was in some battle? What does that have to do with anything aside from her being really amazing?”

Denbright couldn’t believe how dense this child was. “Aster, this is a Wall of Remembrance for those students who not only fought in the Battle of Hogwarts but those who also died. So why would your mother’s name be on this wall if she’s died way before you were born?”

Aster shook her head, “it’s a mistake. My mom is alive. She’s my mom.” Aster began to back away, feeling unsure of herself. As she looked at the photo of the smiling teenager before her, she felt as though she was being haunted. She felt cold and all alone.

The professor watched the girl’s reactions with a curious gaze. It was obvious now. “You’re not who you think you are,” she said. She began to laugh a bit. “I wonder how he’ll react…when he finds out of course,” the teacher in purple robes spoke.

Aster eyed the professor confusingly, “what are you talking about? When who finds out?”

The professor smiled and pulled out her wand, “Triticum revelare,” she said, and with a wave, Aster felt part of herself freeze and a small light escape her lips. Aster managed to move, covering her mouth, and on a parchment of paper that magically appeared, Aster’s lineage was revealed on it. The professor began to laugh, hysterically, as though someone told her the most hilarious joke ever made. “Why are you laughing?” Aster felt fear creep up and the color of her face drain.

“What are you two doing here?” Aster turned to see Professor Potter, who looked annoyed. “Stella? What’s going on?” Harry asked as she went to the professor, addressing her by her first name. The woman kept laughing though. “You won’t believe it!” She said. “This girl is your daughter!”

Harry’s eyes widen, just as Aster’s eyes widen. “You’re my father?” the young Hufflepuff girl asked in surprise. Harry didn’t like the joke. Stella wiped her tears and revealed the magical parchment, “I just did the spell! She’s your daughter! Yours and Malfoy’s!” She laughed, holding her stomach painfully.

Harry looked at the parchment and saw it revealed on paper. He looked at the girl, this time with a different gaze. He could see the resemblance she bore to Draco. His gray eyes, his blonde hair though it was frizzy and pale skin. His heart skipped a beat, and he began moving his wand from his pocket, pointing it at Aster.

In fear, Aster began running. She ran down the halls, and though as another light escaped her lips, she knew he had cast the same spell as Professor Denbright had done so. She ran down the corridor, bumping through students as she tried to find somewhere to hide. As she ran, she could hear Professor Potter’s voice echoing in the hallway, “LILY! LILY COME BACK!”


	15. Chapter 15: No Remorse

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 15**

_Excerpt from The Daily Prophet. September 2nd, 2007_

**_BABY POTTER CUT FROM WOMB! HUSBAND MALFOY SUSPECT!_ **

_On September 1st, 2007, Harry Potter, also known as the "Boy Who Lived" and savior of the Wizarding World, was attacked in his home in the Malfoy Manor at around 11 o'clock in the morning in which his baby was sliced from his stomach and taken, leaving Potter to nearly bleeding to death._

_The suspect of the case points to Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter's husband of nearly three years. Malfoy was sighted near King Cross Station an hour before the attack, but eyewitnesses report seeing Malfoy heading home without his son. Many other witnesses saw a disheveled Malfoy running while carrying what would appear to be the newborn, but since the arrest, Malfoy adamantly refuses to give the location of where he hid the body and denies all allegations._

_Potter is at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries recovering from the attack. However, it was a severe injury, and sources say that he remains in a coma. Infant James Potter-Malfoy has been taken into custody of the authorities until matters in terms of custody can be arranged._

_Meanwhile, authorities are in search of a newborn female; however, no available identifiers are noted._

_Malfoy is held in custody until his court date in a fortnight._

_If anyone has any leads about the missing infant, please contact the local magical authorities._

_Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy have not commented on this manner but had been stated that they are fighting for custody of their grandson._

* * *

_Excerpt from The Daily Prophet September 15th, 2007_

**_POTTER'S TESTIMONY SEALS MALFOY'S FATE: LIFE IN AZKABAN!_ **

_After weeks of going through evidence, Draco Malfoy had seemed to be cleared of all charges. That was until Harry Potter; his now ex-husband has proclaimed under oath that Draco Malfoy was indeed the one who assaulted him and did away with their unborn child. Malfoy cried out in court as the panel of judges proclaimed that Malfoy was pronounced guilty of the murder of the unnamed newborn, assault, and attempted murder of ex-spouse Harry Potter._

_All of Malfoy's assets will be divided among divorce proceedings and sole heir of the Potter-Malfoy name, young James Potter-Malfoy, will be entitled to all assets when he comes of age along with monthly income derived from the Malfoy's bank vault for child support payments._

_Since the end of the trial, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy have not been seen in public and has since been ousted from the Wizarding Community._

* * *

Harry stared in disbelief as the child ran away from him. That blonde haired, grey-eyed idiotic Hufflepuff girl was his daughter. His daughter. The one who had been ripped out of his stomach and stolen away by- Harry felt sick. How could he have been so stupid? He had only been looking for dark haired children. That was what Ron had been saying! Draco was a blonde! James was a blonde! So, odds were his daughter was a blonde. How did he not even think to considerate her? Aster was always on his radar, but he just thought she was some annoying kid. He could slap himself for being so dumb. She was right under his nose. Right in his line of sight and he still missed her

How could Harry call himself an Auror?!

"LILY!" Harry began shouting as the girl rounded the corner. "LILY! COME BACK!" As he was about to chase after her, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Stella Denbright looked at her mentor with empathic eyes. "She needs to be alone right now."

Harry moved the hand from his shoulder and said, "no! She needs me! Her parent! Her true parent! She needs to know that I never gave up on looking for her!"

Stella's eyes darted for a moment past the older Potter, and in a hushed voice, she simply stated, "I think another one of your kids needs to know that you still care about him."

Harry turned and saw James among the crowd of students, coming of out of class and having heard and seen everything. Harry looked at his son with a smile, "James! Wonderful news!" He began walking to his son. James didn't share his father's smile of relief. In fact, he scolded features darkened. "Your sister has been found! You won't believe who it is! I should have seen it sooner, but you two certainly share a resemblance now," he spoke in pure joy. "Your sister is-"

"Aster Campbell." James' voice was monotoned. A grim realization hit Harry. "You knew? This entire time?"

James nodded.

"James! Why didn't you say anything?! How did you even-?" Harry paled with another realization. "The Marauder's Map."

"For Head of the Aurors, you're an idiot," James pushed away from Harry. The raven-haired male looked at his son, horrified. "James? Why? Why keep her away from us? She's your sister?"

"I am no brother to an idiot like her!" James declared. "You spent my entire life looking for her, and never once did you ever think about me!" James spoke the truth. There was no relenting in his eyes. No signs of remorse for his words and why should he when they were very accurate.

Harry denied it instantly, "you had a great childhood! We did things together, and you had plenty of toys and things! Much more than I ever did!"

"You put me in the cupboard," James said. Harry scoffed it off, but he felt extremely offended that his son would even use that turn of phrase on him, "I did no such thing!"

"Not physically. Emotionally. Mentally. You saw me as Father's look-alike. You kept me at a distance, and whenever you did things with me it was like a show for you! To parade your love for your child! The Press was always around! The Famous Savior of the Wizarding World's son what's-his-face!" James stated. "But whatever. You can go grab the ideal child of your dreams while I can move out and be with a family that cares about me!"

Harry wanted to ask who, but he knew instantly. "You've been talking to the Malfoys again? James, I told you not to communicate with them!"

"You mean my grandparents?! The only people who I can talk to about you and your bullshit because they believe me?!" James stated, visibly upset now. "You threw their innocent son away in Azkaban because you thought he did that to you! Clearly not if she's still around kicking! You threw an innocent man in jail! Your own Husband! I can't even imagine what you will do to me, and I'm your son!"

Harry gritted his teeth, "James. Not everything is about you! You always try to make this about you," he tried to deflect. James's breathing started to get heavy as he couldn't believe it. Even now as he was confessing his feelings, his dad was trying to push him away. "There! Right there! I'm trying to tell you how you treated me, and you push me away!"

Harry growled, "James! You and I will talk later! I need to go get your sister!" The older man pushed past his son and began running in the direction that Aster had run off long ago and now was at a good distance away. James watched with full eyes now as his mother ran to someone else. "Later never comes," he said, numbly.

Stella approached James, seeing the shift in the kid's attitude. She sighed, "you know he loves you right?"

James looked at Professor Denbright, who he knew from more than just her being his professor. She had been Harry's student as an Auror and helped a lot when he was growing up. It only fit that she was there at his lowest moment. "No, he doesn't. Stop lying to me and saying he does." James stated clearly as he began to walk away from her. Stella sighed and knew she better inform the Headmistress of this mess.

* * *

Aster ran as fast as she possibly could and while some students turn and glared as she bumped through them, all Aster cared about was getting to her dorm. Classes could wait. She needed to hide! As she began running back to the Hufflepuff dorm, she slid down the hallway a bit and began hurried down the stairs that led down to the Hufflepuff common room. She made it to the enchanted barrels, and when she tapped out the Hufflepuff's song, she was allowed entry into the dorms. She closed the door behind her and made sure it was shut before running to the common room.

Professor Sprout was tending to some plants that lived in the common room, some beautiful plants to give the aroma of life around the Badger's Den as she playfully called it. Her classes were all in the morning, so this was her free period though she was surprised to see a student running in with a huff. "Aster?" She saw the exhausted girl who fell on her knees and panted as though she just ran a marathon. "Why aren't you in class dear?" The plump woman approached the blonde child.

Aster panted, she began crying. "Something bad happened. Something really bad!" The girl was so distraught. Professor Sprout didn't hesitate for a moment and gave the young girl a much-needed hug. Aster was all for giving hugs, but no one has hugged her in a long time. Aster immediately hugged back, crying helplessly.

Professor Sprout helped the girl up, and the two sat down. Without a second, a pot of enchanted tea floated to them along with two saucers and teacups. A cup was poured for the girl, and she held it for a moment. Just as she was about to take a sip, a particular black cat ran over and jumped on the seat next to Aster, and loud purring was soon heard emanating from the feline. Aster took a sip of tea before she put the cup down and moved to hold her kitty companion on her arms. Aster was silent as she loving petted the black cat close to her. The Head of House smiled, "you know, she's the most loving cat I think I've ever seen at Hogwarts. Anyone who comes in, she comes up with a cute meow and receives some good pets," Sprout said in a lighthearted manner, "but she always returns to you." Aster was thankful that Wednesday was so loving. She really needed it. She put the cat down, and Wednesday just climbed on Aster's lap, kneading her paws a bit before laying down, still purring Contently.

"Aster dear, what has you so upset?" Professor Sprout asked. The girl sat in silence for a moment, unable to express herself like she normally was able to. That truly considered Sprout. She knew the young Hufflepuff as energetic and considerate. The girl was always seen twirling around helping around the dorms and baking cookies for everyone. Seeing so quiet like this was heartbreaking. "Professor," Aster's voice was quiet, but still hearable, "Professor Denbright And Professor Potter. They did something to me." The girl reached to her lips, still feeling traces of the light of energy that had left her mouth. "A spell. A light came out, and now he's saying him his daughter or something." She said. Gray eyes met the professor's hazel colored eyes. Sprout was stunned by Aster's words. "He thinks your his daughter? His missing one?"

"You know that story too?" Aster asked in shock.

She nodded, "Oh yes. Many of us knew of this story. It was so...upsetting to us to hear that that had happened to Harry," the professor spoke. "Everyone knows of the Boy-Who-Lived and his child that was rip out of him. It's not a good story, and I imagine not a lot of kids your age would know of the tale."

"Marigold Fawley mentioned it to my friends and me," Aster said, "it sounded like a horror story."

"It's not a pleasant one," she said and took a sip of her tea before putting the cup down. The professor looked at Aster, and all she could see was a sad little girl who needed reassurance. Aster shook her head, wanting to reject this new information, "I can't be that girl. I have a loving mom! She loves me so much! She's the best mom in the world! No way could she ever do something so horrible as that!"

The professor looked uneasy. Could anyone blame Aster at the moment for being in denial? Her life was just flipped upside down, and now Aster was being told she wasn't who she thought she was. "There is an old saying from Shakespeare. It's from his famous play Romeo and Juliet. A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

Aster had heard of that quote before, but how did this apply to her. She looked at the professor, a little shaken but she thought about it. Unlike the mushroom riddle where she had proven how much of an idiot she was, Aster seemed to understand what Professor Sprout meant at this moment. Maybe because the phrase was familiar to her? Or perhaps she could interrupt the quote? She didn't know. All Aster knew was that she understood it and applied it to herself. "You mean," the blonde paused to catch her breath, "just because my name is different, doesn't mean I'm different as a result?" Aster asked.

The professor smiled proudly at the girl, "Exactly." The woman stood up, and with hands on her hips, she said, "you can go rest up until dinner, but I better see you at the dining hall Aster. I don't need one of my students starving themselves." Professor Sprout chided playfully, like a grandma who always made sure her grandchildren were fed.

Aster got up from her seat, picking up the black cat and carrying her to the first-year girl's room, and when she saw her bed, she wanted to collapse, but she paused when he saw a few letters addressed to her. She recognized the handwriting and ripped it open quickly. Her eyes scanned the letter, seeing how delayed this was and started going through the other two that she was meant to receive earlier. As she rad the third and last letter, she held the letter close to the chest.

Her mother was coming to take her away from Hogwarts.


	16. Chapter 16: What Have You Done?

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 16**

The news of Aster being Harry Potter’s long lost daughter, or as some dubbed her, “The Missing Potter” or “The Missing Malfoy” (depending on who said it), spread like wildfire. Older kids gossiped about that, and even the younger kids spoke and questioned the legitimacy of this rumor. Though a few eyewitnesses overheard Harry shouted “Lily” with Aster running away confirmed it. Though the news didn’t spread as quickly as it should have, especially to a gaggle if detention-bound students.

Three exhausted students stumbled into the Hogwarts Castle. “That was maddening!” Vivien complained as she looked like utter hell. Her inky black hair was covered in mud, and her uniform might as well have been replaced with an old rug. The two boys didn’t fair any better as Samuel was trying to see out of his shattered glasses and Ace was crawling as though he emerged from war. “How much longer do we have to endure such cruelty?” Vivien asked.

“For every kid and Professor who ate the cupcake we have a day of detention with Hagrid. Thirteen people. Thirteen days,” Sam said. “This was only night one. We still have twelve more days.”

“Ugh! Kill me now! Being a wizard isn’t worth it!” Ace rolled onto his back and sighed as he wanted nothing but sleep. He could sleep there and be content by the looks of it. Vivien soon joined him, laying on the ground, “let this be the end of us now merciful Neptune!” She soliloquized.

Sam laughed a bit in exhaustion, “ha. Spongebob reference. Classic.”

“What’s a Spongebob?” Vivien asked. That made Sam and Ace jump in shock. How did anyone NOT know who Spongebob was?! Ace groaned, feeling aches all over his body. “Goodbye cruel world!”

Marigold, who was running around, saw the three exhausted students and ran over to them. “Hey! Where’s Aster!?”

They looked over and groaned. Dealing with Marigold is the last thing on their minds. “She didn’t prank you, Mari. Get over it! If you wanna kill someone, kill us and put us out of our misery,” Vivien said.

“She does not speak for the both of us,” Sam added.

Marigold looked offended, “okay firstly, I’ll ignore the fact that you called me “Mari” because I hate it when people do it. And secondly, Do you three even know yet about the amazing news?!” The red hair said.

“No, and we don’t care!” Vivien spoke out. “Please just let us die in peace.”

“Aster is the Missing Malfoy Baby!” Marigold exclaimed. Vivien lifted her head, frowning her brows. “What?”

“Missing Malfoy?” Sam asked.

Marigold smirked, “yep. I knew something was special about that girl. Now we all know. From what I know is that she didn’t know either. I thought you guys were with her since you’re all like friends. I need to find her and apologize to her! I’ve been so mean, and she’s a celebrity and the child of Harry Potter!” The red-haired girl gushed and soon began running off.

The three remained quiet for a moment, before Ace asked, “was that real or am I in Hell?”

“Yes,” Sam answered before collapsing next to the Hufflepuff male onto the floor.

* * *

Aster packed a small bag as she fully expected her mom to be coming to get her and take her away from this nightmare. She was told in the letter to pack light, and whatever that wasn’t necessary could easily be replaced. She wouldn’t leave until Halloween night, so that was in a few days, but she packed beforehand.

There was a knock on the door, and Aster quickly threw her bag under the bed. “Huh? Come in!” Aster shouted. While the girls who lived in the specific dorm knocked since that was a shared room, those in other dorms, even in the same house, knocked as a courtesy. A dirty blonde girl with a high ponytail came in. “Hey, Aster. You have a minute to talk?” The lighter shade of blonde nodded. “Please go ahead.”

Serenity walked in and sat down on Aster’s bed. “I heard what happened with Professor Potter and Professor Denbright,” she started off. Aster looked a little annoyed for a moment. “I don’t want to talk about that right now if you don’t mind,” Aster said. “It has to be wrong. I know I’m my mother’s child. I’m not his.” Aster stated firmly.

Serenity could sense the conflict in the younger girl. She also could see how much Aster tried to deny it with the uncertainty in her eyes. “Did they use the Triticum revelare spell?”

Aster looked up from her bed. She hadn’t realized she wasn’t even looking at the Prefect until she asked that question. Aster subconsciously moved her hand to her lips. “Yes. A light came out of my mouth.”

“That’s a spell used to reveal a person’s genetic tree. It’s actually fairly new and with a lot of questions about Purebloods and being mudblood or whatever. It’s also a way for people to help find missing persons as well. Like you.”

Aster turned away, “I was never missing or lost. I was always where I was supposed to be. She looked at her nightstand and right beside her wand, which she had placed down as she began packing, she saw a photo of her and her mom. It was a selfie-like picture of the two do them. Aster was very young in the photo, about three or four, and they were at the park. Her mom always did enjoy print pictures. Though as she stared at the image, she began to feel that uncomfortable uncertainty that only began forming when she saw her mom’s picture on the memorial wall.

Serenity reached up to her chest for a moment, feeling for something. “I lost my mom when I was around your age,” the older girl spoke. “My Family was in Italy. It was me, my mom and my three young siblings in the car. Mom and I were arguing over something idiotic now that I think about it. It was in the summer. The truck seemingly came out of nowhere,” she shook. Aster had turned and listened to her story and saw how Serenity’s hand shook from the memory. The prefect looked at Aster, “I know how special before a mother and her daughter is,” she said.

Aster nodded in agreement and sat down next to the girl, and they hugged it out. Aster tried to hide her trembling as she soon heard the older girl say, “it’s okay to feel confused and conflicted. It’s not your fault she did something horrible. You only know her as your mother.”

“She is my mommy,” Aster said, even if she knew it sounded childish, “She’s my mommy forever and always.”

* * *

Aster walked to the dining hall with Serenity, and she never felt so stared at before. It would be fine if she were performing like she would be on the ice and was competing, but while she’s just walking to the dining hall? No. This was making her uncomfortable. The two blondes walked to the dining hall and saw a full house of students who were enjoying their food and talking among themselves. Hearing a loud bunch of students turn and go quiet was the most deafening thing Aster had ever heard. They all stared at her. Was she some kind of freak with five alien heads now or something?! She soon turned to the Hufflepuff table, and she and Serenity sat down.

Talking soon resumed like normal, but Aster was surprisingly not bothered by any questions about the recent news. Of course, students wanted to ask and talk to the girl, but the death glares they were all getting from Serenity was enough to put them off. A plate of roast beef appeared in front Aster, and as she was reaching over to grab the potatoes and some broccoli (she actually liked broccoli), there was a flash of light.

A bleach blonde with cat-eyed purple glasses and a floating camera approached the Hufflepuff table, having just taken a picture of the blonde. She wore a Slytherin robe and sat next to Aster with force but smiled cutely, “Charmed to finally meet you! I’m Mira Skeeter. Third-year junior reporter!” She said and took Aster’s hand forcibly, shaking it. “When word spread that you were Harry Potter’s daughter! I knew I had to get an exclusive!” She said, and her camera flashed another time in Aster’s face, this time making the girl see spots. “Oh, Darlin’! This will be the jumpstart of my career!” She squealed and pulled out her notepad and quill. “So tell me Aster. Is it still appropriate to call to that still since that’s not really your name, but how do you feel learning about this amazing origin story of yours!” She asked.

Aster could barely get a word in edgewise with the fast-talking girl. When she was finally allowed to speak, Aster didn’t know what to say. This was all too much for her. The girl looked a little impatient and then began writing and spoke out loud, “Young Hufflepuff is baffled at the news of discovering who she really is!”

“Mira! Get your things and leave!” Serenity demanded. “She has a lot going on. The last thing she needs is to talk to someone as slimy as you!”

“Ah! Excuse you, Whitehair! I’m a journalist, and I need to get the freshest scoops in order to stay ahead of the curve! This is the latest story not just in the school but our entire community!” Mira stated. “And I’ll have you know that this girl story needs to be told!” She said. “Ripped out of the womb and stolen away! Ah! They could make a book about this sort of thing!”

As Mira spoke, she didn’t notice the looming professor behind her. Aster went quiet as she looked behind her and saw the stone face of Professor Potter. The girl only chimed up and said, “PROFESSOR! How do you feel about finally meeting your daughter?! You must be on air right now!” The girl asked.

Green eyes glared hard at the Slytherin. “No comment,” he stated and turned to Aster. The girl wanted to shrink down at the other’s gaze. “When you finished eating, Headmistress McGonagall wishes to speak to you in her office,” he stated and headed out of the mess hall. The Slytherin girl wrote that down, “more to come! Oh, I love it!” She said. “Aster! I want the entire story! Please let me know about that interview soon!” She said and soon went running off, seemingly after Professor Potter.

Aster looked frazzled, and before anyone could say anything else to the girl, Serenity cut them off. “Let the girl eat her roast beef!”

* * *

Aster went to go meet with Headmistress McGonagall as she was ordered by Professor Potter. It was late, but not past curfew yet, though something told her that she would be excused for being a little late to bed.

The girl stopped walking and looked at the Hogwarts portraits for a moment, all seemingly minding their own business. There was a time when Aster adored art. Her mom would take her to Washington DC, and she loved going through the Smithsonian museum. Seeing the giant whale hanging up in the front of the entrance and seeing the animal-related exhibits always brought joy to the girl. It was even more special when she shared those moments with her mom.

Her...mom...

Aster stood silently as the realization hit her.

Her mom... wasn’t her mom.

Aster turned and began walking away, as though on autopilot. Her mind kept playing back all her memories of her mom, and she couldn’t think of a single bad one. Her mom was always there! Always loving and hardworking! Maybe there was a mistake? She could accept that perhaps, just perhaps, she was adopted? She couldn’t think that her mom would actually take a child away, especially in such a horrific way. No. Not her mommy.

“Lily.”

The voice of the man stunned Aster. It was not it’s usual stern tone, but gentle. She didn’t turn to it though. She wouldn’t answer by that name. “That’s not my name.”

It was Harry, and he stepped closer to the girl, still amazed and happy to finally meet his missing child. He approached Aster and just couldn’t stop smiling. The girl was like a female version of Draco but with Harry’s hair texture. He noticed that Aster must have taken after her paternal grandmother, Narcissa since they share a similar head shape and eye shape. Through Harry could see the resemblance between Aster and his eldest son James. Both light blonde hair and both with similar eye color. Harry couldn’t help but reach out to her and pull her in for a hug. The girl seemed to vanish in the silhouette of the Potter. He knelt down and looked at his daughter. Harry saw her tears forming in those gray eyes. “I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it was you much soon,” he proclaimed as he felt tears starting to build up in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

That wasn’t why Aster was crying.

Harry’s wasn’t warm and loving like her mom’s hugs were. This hug was forceful, and his skin was scratchy, so it scrapped across her face. Aster felt as though she was being hugged by a cactus. Uncomfortable. Not willing. Hurting.

Harry reached up to wipe her tears, but Aster was quick to the move and said, “I shouldn’t be crying. I know,” she felt uneasy but apologizing for crying was something she didn’t feel like doing either. Aster looked into Harry’s green eyes behind lenses, and she didn’t feel a connection to him at all. She always imagined if she met her father one day, there would be a moment when they just clicked.

“Well, Li-“ Harry cleared his throat, “Aster. The Headmistress wishes to speak to you.” The man stood up and led the way to McGonagall’s office. Aster kept a distance from the man, walking amblingly behind him. At least this time she wasn’t in trouble.

* * *

Aster walked in the office behind Harry, and as the man approached the woman in green velvet robes, Aster’s eyes wondered over to the portraits. She distinctly remembered one of the paintings coming to her defense. The man with black hair. She approached it as the two adults were talking. The man looked down and raised an eyebrow to the girl. She saw the nameplate under the portrait. “ _Severus Snape. Hogwarts Headmaster year 1997-1998._ ”

“I never had the chance to thank you for coming to my defense,” Aster said to the portrait. Snape’s eyebrow raised. “I merely informed the truth silly girl.” He said. Aster smiled softly. “Thank you.”

The portrait looked over toward Harry, “are you sure this child is yours? She’s much more polite then you are.” That earned a harsh glare from the Potter man, but Aster giggled a bit.

McGonagall cleared her throat and said, “Now this is a rather serious situation,” McGonagall spoke. She looked at the girl, and quit laughing quickly and slowly approached the desk timidly. She made sure to keep her distance from the professor. “Aster, we do have some important questions for you,” McGonagall started. “Such as your admission here to Hogwarts.”

Aster frowned a bit in confusion.

“We don’t know how this even happened. But the quill and ink were confused and granted you admission as Aster Campbell. The false identity that your kidnapper has given you along with a false date of birth,” McGonagall stated. Aster didn’t know how to respond to that statement. She didn’t lie. She is Aster Campbell as far as she knew. The Headmistress sighed, “I am aware that this is not your fault. After all, you’re a victim of circumstance, but you should have started the school year next year.”

“But I’m eleven. Like all the rest of the students in my year,” Aster stated as that was a fact.

“Yes, you’re eleven now. Your birthday is September first, 2007. That is the first day of Hogwarts and therefore the cutoff date for student’s birthdays,” McGonagall explained.

“Wait? Are you going to kick me out of Hogwarts because my birthday is a day later than I thought?!” Aster asked, fear raising on her voice at the realization that she would be purposefully held back and that was something she didn’t want to happen. What student did?

“This is a matter for the school board due to the circumstances. I don’t think it is necessary since you’re already a student and sorted into a house,” McGonagall stated, “but the board will have to discuss this manner over due to your name also being fake.”

“My name is Aster! That’s not fake!” Aster was starting to get upset and not the crying upset like she had been doing; angry upset. Aster was tired of her name being called wrong. “It might not be the name you picked for me, sir, but it’s the name I grew up with, and now it’s the name I’m choosing for myself,” she said boldly. “I will not respond to anything else other than Aster!” She declared outright.

The two adults stared at Aster for a moment, looking at the lanky girl and seeing her fists clinched up. Harry frowned at her words, but he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t be as happy as he was to see her again.

This wasn’t the ideal reunion he envisioned.

McGonagall merely said, after moments of silence from her proclaiming her name, was this: “You are who you say you are. I will call you as such Aster.” Aster smiled and nodded. Though the woman continued, “But your surname is not Campbell. Your surname is Potter. Your parents did not legally give you up for adoption and the woman who you claim is your mother simply is not.”

Having it spoken that way made Aster feel confused. “My mom...she couldn’t have taken me like that. She must have been lied to, or she didn’t know that happened!”

“My team will be investigating this more,” Harry spoke. “In the meantime, I will take guardianship over Lily, I mean, of Aster once more. As her birth mother, I have the right to do so.”

McGonagall nodded, “I’ll give you allowance to leave Hogwarts and to take Aster with you. Aster, I suggest you start packing your bags. You will no longer be a Hogwarts student until further notice.”

Aster’s eyes widen in horror. Not only was she being kicked out of school, but now she was going to live with Harry Potter. “Headmistress. Please allow me to stay!” She begged. “I’m a good student!”

“This isn’t a punishment. This is an assessment on the situation,” Minerva said to the worried child. “Besides, you may still do homework, and this is an excellent opportunity for you and your parent to know each other.” She suggested.

Aster stepped back, no one was listening to her. She felt so disjointed at the moment. Why did she feel out of breath all of a sudden? She felt his hands shaking and a streak of panic course through her. She didn’t want this! She didn’t want to leave. Aster then thought of her mother and her letters about taking her away. She flinched and felt guilt once more. Why should she feel guilty though? Because even now she chose her mother, the one who loved her and raised her and made her the person who she was? Could anyone blame her? Yes. Yes, they could.

Harry was quick to not let Aster go so quickly. He reached out and grabbed by the wrist, seeing her panic. When the girl looked up with panicked eyes, all Harry could see was Draco and remembered the day that his husband had reached out for him behind a cage; _"Harry! Please! I love you! I didn't hurt you!"_ It made the raven-haired man let her go, and at that moment, she turned and began running out the door again. Harry watched her leave, “I’ll see her in the morning. It’s late.”

The Headmistress nodded, “This has been an eventful day, hasn’t it? Yesterday she was Aster Campbell. Now she’s Aster Potter. It’s jarring for any child to comprehend so quickly. Let alone a girl who has been well adjusted and in a loving home all her life.”

That angered Harry. He always imagined his daughter being in a place like him so he could be the light that saved her and embraced her with love and welcoming that he'd wish he had been given. Aster was happy, and while he didn’t want to wish her any harm, he only hoped he could be a comfort to the girl. “My daughter is rejecting me,” he said flat out with a wave of low-barring anger in his voice.

“She barely knows you. She only knows you as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor,” McGonagall spoke and placed a hand on his shoulder, “whatever preconceived notions you have about you finally met your child, you need to put them aside and look at the situation at hand. A child was just told she wasn’t her mother’s child. The mother she had known her entire life.” She said. Harry’s green eyes flared up in a rage, and he said, “I’m owling some men to send them to where that woman is hiding! Lavender Brown is guilty and needs to be detained. Even if she didn’t do the crime, she raised a child that wasn’t legally hers. She had to have known that!”

McGonagall sighed, “and what about Draco? Isn’t he still in Azkaban?”

“Yeah! He deserves it! After what he did to me?! To our child?!” Harry shouted.

“You would think that in a world where Polyjuice potion is a thing, where anyone and transformation into anyone else, that that is how the culprit got away with this crime?” McGonagall said.

Harry’s face paled at the realization. Anyone could have taken it. He remembered that day as though it was a record, but after the attack, he didn’t know what happened aside from reports.

Teddy and James have been with Draco when they arrested him. The boy was about eight years old, but he had stated numerous times that he been Draco since the moment he was picked up from his Granny’s house. Teddy has even begged for anyone to listen to him because Teddy knew Draco was innocent.

Soon, as though someone unleashed the floodgates of Harry’s mind, all he could remember was that good times he been with Draco. Draco Malfoy: his loving husband and father to both James and Teddy. Draco who would have never harmed him since they started dating. Draco who would help him sleep and fetch him whatever it was he needed. Draco who cried openly in court over the supposed loss of his child and who begged for Harry to believe him. And Draco, the innocent man serving a life sentence in Azkaban all because of his testimony.

Harry’s eyes began to leak profoundly as he thought about the man he loved wasting away in Azkaban.

“What have I done?”


	17. Chapter 17: The Invisibility Cloak

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 17**

Aster walked to the Hufflepuff dormitory just before eleven pm that evening, and while some of the older kids were awake, doing some last-minute homework, she was thankfully left alone. She walked to her room, slowly opening the door and getting inside quickly before she was too much of a bother to them. While she may not get along with her roommates, the last thing she wanted to be was inconsiderate. There were some candles lit up, giving the room a warm orange glow while also emitting a lavender scent. One of the girls had insomnia and couldn't seem to sleep without the smell of lavenders. The other girls didn't mind since it made the room smell nice.

To Aster, it reminded her of her mother, whose name she shared with the purple flowers.

The blonde walked to her bed, noticing a wrapped package. Tilting her head in confusion, Aster picked it up, seeing "To My Little Star; From Mommy," written in her mother's handwriting. Aster looked around, wondering if she should open it now. By the tell of the package, it felt like a blanket. Aster been looking around and found a pair of scissors and began to open the package. Wednesday, the cat, jumped on the bed, meowing and wanting attention from her human. Aster shushed her by giving her petting for a moment and allowing the cat to curl up beside her. Once the package was open, Aster saw a velvet-like robe and held it up with a confused expression. A note soon slipped out, and Aster was quick to notice. She reached down and began reading the note.

" _Aster. Meet me by the Whomping Willow Tree. By the time you get this package, I'll be there waiting for you. Leave Wednesday, she'll be better off at Hogwarts then where we are going. Pack light. Wear the robe over your belongings. You will not be seen in it. It's an invisibility cloak. Soon, my baby, we can go home. Love, Mommy._ "

Aster felt a twisting in her stomach, the same feeling she had when she was being taken into that cage from New York back in the summer. The girl stood up, grabbing her wand from her robes and began removing her Hogwarts robes. At this moment, she knew she could easily go to bed and go to sleep, and pretend that today didn't happen, at least for a few hours with sleep, but some new deep inside that she wasn't going to sleep tonight. She stood in her gray Hogwarts sweater and pleated skirt with high knee socks and dress shoes. As she removed the articles of clothing, she remembered that she wasn't even a student at the moment, not anymore according to McGonagall. The girl was quick to put on a pink tee shirt and blue jeans. She kept the socks on and slipped on her tennis shoes; wearing exclusively muggle clothes. As she thought about pulling her hair back, she couldn't find a hair tie; Wednesday must have taken them again. The girl looked over to the black cat, knowing the cat couldn't come with her. She petted the cat a few times before kneeling down. "I love you Wednesday, be a good cat. Go to Vivien or Ace for comfort," she whispered to the cat, wishing she could bring the cat with her. She took a deep breath and remembered how she had some treats in the nightstand next to her bed. Aster slowly pulled the drawer, trying to make as little noise as possible, and grabbed the kitty treats. She poured out a few small rectangular treats and gave them to her black cat, and as Wednesday was eating her treats, Aster grabbed her bag from under the bed and the robe she was just given. She put the bag on her back and pulled the robe over her, and with a final glance at Wednesday, she pulled the robe on, vanishing from the cat's sight.

* * *

The night was clear of clouds and the moon shined brightly. Aster exited the Hufflepuff dorms with ease, though she was sure that she couldn't hide doors opening randomly, so she had to be careful of that. Thankfully no one could see her in the robes. She peeked out of the robes a bit, able to cover herself and see well enough to leave the dorms and out of the castle.

The girl had only been to Hogwarts for a little over a month, no way would she know the layout of the land. Though soon she froze at the sight of the Whoomphing Willow. She noticed the tree being strangely stagnated, as though it was frozen. She had seen the Whomping Willow being treated by Professor Sprout before and the tree always managed to give her a few scraps. Aster approached with caution and soon saw a hole just near the tree trunk.

"Mom!" Aster whispered, "Mom are you there?"

Just as Aster inched closer, a bit of Earth crumbled, and Aster slid down the hole with a shriek and an "oof." Her hood fell from her head, revealing her head. The girl stood up, glad she wasn't hurt. She stood up, and soon saw a passage that led down to…somewhere. Aster realized that she might have to follow the path. Her mom must not have been able to get to Hogwarts. The girl began walking down the path, pulling out her wand, " _Lumos maxima_." The tip of her wand lit up brightly, and Aster could see the path more. She walked, every step feeling uneasy and unlevel, a few times she let out a gasp because of a misstep, but she was quick to steady herself.

When she reached a set of stairs, she saw an opening and walked up slowly. She stopped using her wand, putting in away in the robe and began to climb up the stairs. The girl wouldn't be able to see much. It was completely dark, and the outside light was from the outside.

"Hello?" Aster asked out, ready to pull her wand out again. "Don't." She heard a voice. " _Lumos Maxima_ ," a spell was cast, and a woman sat in the corner, looking utterly beaten up and covered in blood. Aster screamed, "MOM!" She quickly went to the woman's side and began to see what was wrong. The woman looked exhausted and pale, as though she had been in a fight. "Careful sissy, there is broken glass all over," Lavender spoke quietly. Aster didn't care about that. All she cared about was the woman in front of her. "Mom, what happened?" The eleven-year-old asked in fear.

"It's my time of the month," she joked softly, but she came prepared, "Sissy, I'm so glad you're here. I'm glad my package came to you."

Aster stood up, "come on Mom, we have to go home," she said, "like you said in your note."

Lavender winced, "I can't move much at the moment. I'm in a lot of pain."

"Is it your sickness again?" Aster asked.

Lavender nodded, "yes. Very much so love," she said and looked at her girl. The girl with silvery eyes like the moon and frizzy hair like the sun. She only saw her daughter. Her precious child. "Aster, I need you to go ahead without me," she said to the girl. Aster paled, "what? Why? Mom! I won't leave you!"

"Shh," the woman said, "I know. I'll join you soon, I promise," Lavender spoke gently. The woman pointed over to a bag, "in that bag over there, I have some money for us. Both muggle and wizard currency. I also have a key for a place in Hogs Head Inn. Keep your cloak on and be careful. You may be invisible, but your movements are not," Lavender said and lifted her hand slowly. "I'll join you in the morning," she said and touched Aster's chin, making the frantic girl look in her mother's brown eyes. "If I do not join you for any reason, always know that I love you. Mommy loves you, and she will do anything to protect you."

Aster nodded, her chin shaking a bit as she was crying again, "I won't leave you here. I can't abandon you like this."

Lavender smiled sadly, "I love you to the Moon and back." Aster cuddled to the woman, trying to give her as much comfort as she could while also trying to get comfortable in return. Lavender wrapped her arms around the girl, "it'll be okay Aster."

Aster didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she felt the sun peeking and hitting her face. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing the dinky and dusty room. She sat up, wiping the dust from her face as she was sleeping on the ground. For a moment, she was confused, wondering where she was. Had last night been a dream? No, by the looks of it, it wasn't. She had snuck out of Hogwarts to meet with her mom.

Her mom.

Lavender was still sleeping, though she was laying on the ground, getting up just as Aster had. "That was a rough night," she said to herself. The woman turned around, pulling out her wand and making the blood stains vanish from the clothing as though nothing happened. The woman seemed to be in better spirits, and as she saw her daughter once more, the woman's smiled brightly. "Good morning Aster."

Aster smiled brightly as well. "Good Morning Mommy!" She got up and hugged the woman tightly. The woman hugged her in return. "Come along now, we need to leave now," she said as she grabbed their bags and gave Aster the invisibility cloak, and they headed out of the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

Lavender walked around with a hood up but acting casual through the crowds was the only way to go. Aster was the one who needed to hide the most, though Lavender did put a Disillusionment Charm around her so they could blend into the crowd.

The two walked around the village, trying to exit out. "Aster, remember, stay close to me," Lavender said quietly as the girl was just behind her. Aster spoke, "yes ma'am." "Shh, you can't be heard." The woman said, and they walked through the village. As they walked through the village, Aster noticed a particular post on a pole. She silently approached it, reading the post; " ** _Werewolf Sighted in Hogsmeade. Be Aware."_**  There was an image of a horrid creature, that looked like it was heading to the Shrieking Shack. Aster looked over to her mother, remembering her condition, but it was particular that a werewolf was in the same place as they were.

Unless…

Aster was about to join her mother when she turned around, and her mother wasn't there anymore. Where had she gone? Aster began running, looking for her mom, and when she noticed the hood was trying to fly off, she had to hold it close and was running blindly. She couldn't see much, and as she was trying to run around, she bumped into someone, knocking her down to the ground. Had she run into a wall?

Aster's hood fell off, revealing her head and the robe becoming visibly. The girl held her head, looking up at the figure before her. Aster looked up and saw the eleven-foot-six-inch giant known as Rubeus Hagrid. The man looked down and was very surprised to see the small girl in the street in Hogsmeade. "As'ta? He said, his accent making her hard 'r' sound like an 'a.' "Why are you outside of Hogwarts? You shouldn't be out 'ere," he commented. Aster panicked. Oh great! She would hear it now! "Hey! You have the invisibility cloak! I thought that thing was long gone!"

Aster raised an eyebrow, "you know of this cloak Mr. Hagrid?"

"Sure! Harry Potter had it when he was in school! Though of course, I figured he had lost it because his son hadn't been using it and it's passed down through his family," Hagrid passively mentioned. Aster began thinking but shook her head, "no this is my mom's. She gave it to me."

Hagrid eyed the cloak and shook his head, "this one if the real deal alright! Undamaged. Only the real invisibility cloak can manage it without easy damage. One little hold ruins them ya know?"

Aster thought about how she fell in the hold and yet not a single tear or spec of dirt. She removed the cloak, revealing herself and the bags she was carrying. She began looking for any kind of hole or tear in it. She felt for anything, but there was no article stitching on the fabric, only something made it's shape naturally. As a sinking realization, she stood up, shaking. "Mr. Hagrid. Can werewolves have babies?" She asked suddenly.

He raised an eyebrow and pondered for a moment, "well, I know males can since, ya know, they don't really carry the baby, but she-wolves carrying offspring? I don't think so since transformations wouldn't allow them to carry the babes. That's a particular question to ask there As'ta. Why are you asking?"

Aster didn't want to believe it…she wished the idea never even came to her just now. She tried to deny it. Reject it! The thought made her pale at her own stupidity. "My mom can't be my mom…is she's a werewolf."

The girl soon realized the danger she was indeed in. She looked at the half-giant and said, "Mr. Hagrid, I think I need help!"

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

The girl was suddenly flung back, away from Hagrid. She flew several feet and landed on the ground, and it was in that moment that Lavender ran over and grabbed the robe, wrapping it around the girl before she apparated from the village, taking the girl with her.


	18. Chapter 18: Aster Learns

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 18**

Harry Potter walked to the Hufflepuff dorms around eight am that morning. The Potter male, despite being remaining stoic, couldn’t have been happier. He was going to take his daughter home. After eleven years of looking for his baby, she was found and finally going to live with her rightful parent. He had a skip in his step and as he knocked on the door in the rhythm of the Hufflepuff song (all the Professors needed to know how to get in the dormitories for emergencies). Once the door was opened, and the barrels moved out of the way, Harry walked in, seeing a few students getting ready for the day and enjoying some time before their classes. They all went really quiet as they saw Professor Potter walk in. “Hello, is Professor Sprout here?” He asked.

“She’s in the greenhouse.” One of the boys answered.

“Okay then. Is Lily- I mean, Aster here then? I’ve come to retrieve her,” Harry asked.

The students raised an eyebrow and began murmuring among themselves, but they shook their heads, “isn’t she in class?”

“What about breakfast? Was she at breakfast? Another student asked.

Harry had a horrible feeling in his gut. “Could one of you ladies go check to see if Aster in her dorm?” Harry asked. As a male professor, he wasn’t allowed direct access to the female dorms. Serenity, who was among the few females in the common rooms, nodded and hurried to the female dorms. She knocked and informed whoever maybe inside that she was coming in and opened the door. There was no one inside except for a cat, who was snoozing on Aster’s uniform that had been folded up on the bed. She hurried to the Professor, “she’s not here, and her Uniform is on the bed.”

Harry tried not to panic, but he had that feeling; the feeling of complete and utter dread. “I’ll go check upstairs in the dining hall,” he said as he left the room. Though he began running as he felt terror in his stomach.

He never even made it to the dining room as he saw Hagrid talking to McGonagall about what he just saw. The headmistress turned to Potter with sadden eyes.

Aster was gone.

* * *

 

The girl sat on the bed as her mother treated her minor cut. The two were in a hotel room outside of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the woman was putting some quick healing cream over the cut Aster got from the spell that knocked her back. “I’m sorry for doing that, but you were going to get taken away,” Lavender said, putting a band-aid over the cut. The woman smiled weakly, as though worried as well. “You don’t want that do you?”

Aster looked ashamed, feeling uneasy at the question. She looked away for a moment, but mostly she felt scared because now she had to confront her mother, the woman who raised her, but also the woman who kidnapped her if what Professor Potter said was true. “Mom,” Aster spoke out, some shakiness in her voice in her normally sweet voice. Aster’s gray eyes darted to the caramel brunette, still only seeing her mother, “I know.”

Lavender didn’t skip a beat, “know about what dear?”

Aster’s breathing hitched, and a scared tear trickled down her face. “That you’re a werewolf.”

Lavender froze and looked at the child. She had known this day was coming up, and she always thought of her out, how she could explain things to her daughter and still look innocent in the eyes of the one person who truly mattered to the woman. Her eyes harden as she began to speak, “I suppose last night was a big give away huh?” She reached out to the child’s cheek, cupping it in her left hand, “I’m sorry if I scared you with all that blood. Transformations are not pleasant,” Lavender said and let go. “And don’t worry, you’re not a werewolf. I would never inflict this on you,” Lavender added as she saw the fear in Aster’s eyes.

“I know that you’ve been one since the war,” Aster continued speaking, an uncertainty still radiant in her voice as she was not used to confronting her mother about anything before. This wasn't like confront mean ole' Professor Potter and how unfair he was being, this was someone she knew as her mother. 

Lavender paled and went quiet for a moment. The woman tilted her head a bit, “how do you know about the war?” There was a lack of emotion in the way she asked that question. The light in her eyes was gone, as though turning into some soulless body.

Aster merely replied to that question, “There is a memorial of you at Hogwarts. One of the Professors showed it to me. Your picture was up there. Back when you were like seventeen or eighteen.” Aster took a noticeable breath as she tried to think of what to say next. “And I also know that girl werewolves can’t have babies because the transformations make them lose them,” Aster was gentle on her confrontation.

Lavender looked away from the girl, “I’m sorry I never told you that you were adopted Aster. I didn’t want you to think that you were any less my child.” Lavender spoke gently.

Pain was in Aster’s eyes; a visible wince in body movement. However, Aster was ever the optimist, and she forced a smile, “adopted? Legally? That means that you didn’t know then, right? You are innocent! You didn’t hurt Professor Potter!” A false hopefulness gleamed in the blonde’s eyes. Aster walked over to the woman before a quick movement to move into a hug in front of the woman. “I know you’re innocent! You can’t have done something so horrible as taking someone’s baby away like that!”

A sigh escaped the woman’s mouth, her chest deflated, and she patted the top of the girl’s head. Aster’s optimism drained utterly from her face, along with her usually pink cheeks. This was a major red flag to the girl. Her mom always hugged back. Pats on the head meant something else. Aster looked up and saw Lavender’s testy eyes and saw the woman looked dead in Aster’s eyes, as though she was looking through them. “I need to be honest with you. You deserve to know this…”

* * *

“ _I’m sorry Mrs. Campbell. Another miscarriage,” the nurse informed her. “How many had it been? Five?”_

_“Seven,” Lavender said numbly. “This was my seventh miscarriage,” she sat in the doctor’s office. The woman had just transformed the night before and woke up to a puddle of blood, and while Lavender couldn't see the tiny embryo due to how early in the pregnancy it was, the 27-year-old woman knew she had lost another baby in the last two years. However, this was a muggle hospital and explaining the entire truth of the matter of how she couldn’t control her transformations was out of the question._

_The nurse gave Lavender a thoughtful expression and said, “perhaps you and your husband should look into adoption. Sometimes things like this happen,” she advised, giving Lavender a few pamphlets about the proper channels of adopting a baby. The woman merely stood up and walked out of the office..._

_As Lavender walked through the streets, she saw an article of the Daily Prophet and the Potter-Malfoy Family at some Gala and a very pregnant Harry Potter seemed like it was taunting her. She crumbled it up. Why does that man get to carry babies and yet I can’t?! She would have never fought in that war had she known this was her fate. Fenrir Greyback...she would love to have her revenge; to torture the living shit out of him. Too bad he was long gone since the Battle of Hogwarts._

_Lavender returned home, flipping on the light switch. “I’m home.” The room was covered in blood, splattered everywhere but the woman acted as though nothing was a missed. She closed the door behind her, locking the deadbolt, and walked into the living room where shredded human parts decorated the room as though someone exploded meat in the microwave. She merely continued to the kitchen, knelt down once she opened the fridge door, and pulled out a beer. Not like she was pregnant, so she was only hurting herself._

_Her house was small but suitable, and the only extra room was a nursery she had created many moons ago when she was hopeful. The door was closed, but the pastel letters of “baby” still hung on the door with a couple of blood splattered on the painted words. It now stood as a grim reminder of not being the one thing she truly wanted to be; a mother._

_“I should have gotten knocked up with Ron Weasley when I had a chance back at Hogwarts,” she muttered to herself and took another drink of her beer. The woman reached over to the remote and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV, ignoring how it too, was covered in blood._

_The woman flipped through channels until she saw a movie playing. She watched it for a moment and just as she was about to change it, she suddenly couldn’t look away as a woman in the moving was kidnapping a baby in a hospital. Lavender began to snicker as she saw how the woman got through the hospital without anyone stopping her. Playing the part of a nurse._

_And that was when the bad ideas started to form into her head._

_Lavender knew if she wanted a baby, she could easily use Polyjuice potion and take a muggle’s baby very quickly. However, it wasn’t just a baby she wanted. The jaded woman wanted to unleash her rage of what has happened to her. She looked down at a bundle of papers over on the coffee table, and her eyes rolled when she saw the Daily Prophet once more and seeing the article with Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter on it. “They don’t even deserve another baby.” She commented, and as though someone flicked the switch in her mind, she thought of a very satisfying way to get her hands on a baby and making the one who caused the war to suffer._

_An evil smirk came to the woman’s lips._

* * *

“I'm sorry sissy, all I know is that I applied for adoption and you were given to me by a nice lady,” Lavender lied seamlessly, “and since that day, it’s just been you and I against the world,” she added with a faux smile.

Aster could sense the lie, and every word that was just spoken to her felt as though her body would freeze. She felt stiff, unable to move, but once she was able to pull away from her mom, she felt a moment of freedom.

Aster moved her arms, shivering. Even if they were indoors, she felt as though she is the deepest snow and her body began to shake. Lavender smiled and went over, pulling a blanket off the hotel room and placed it over the girl’s shoulders. “Winters in Europe are often drafty,” she said. “Halloween is in a few days. I know we can’t do trick-or-treating, but we can go to a store and pick out some candy, and we can watch some scary movies. I think you’re old enough now for some horror classics,” Lavender continued to speak as though nothing had changed.

Aster’s lip curled uncomfortably, “just as long as it’s not those _Chucky_ movies. I’ll watch anything with you, Mom.”

“Oh! I know the one that I think you’ll enjoy as well! We can buy the digital copy with my Amazon account. It’s called _Sleepy Hollow_! It has Johnny Depp in it. You remember him from those _Alice in Wonderland_ movies you like,” she said. Aster only nodded, “sure mom, that sounds like fun. I-I think I need to lay down for a bit though. I'm feeling kinda tired.” Aster laid down on the left side of the large bed, feeling exhausted. 

Lavender sat down behind before laying behind her, “I think we both earned a nap today,” the woman said as she held Aster close to her. Aster felt dread over her tiny frame and realized the mistakes she had made by choosing to leave the safety of Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry wasted no time in getting his daughter’s face out in the papers. Thanks to Mira Skeeter and her camera, the raven had the most recent photo and sent it out to all the media outlets with a reward attached.

  
_**MISSING CHILD** _  
_**LILY NARCISSA POTTER** _  
_**ALSO KNOWN AS ASTER BROOKE CAMPBELL** _  
_**Age: 11** _  
_**Hair: Blonde** _  
_**Eyes: Gray/Blue** _  
_**Last Seen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry** _  
_**Suspected of Kidnapping: Lavender Brown** _  
_**If you have any information, please contact Magical Law Enforcement** _  
_**REWARD: 10,000 Galleons** _

  
Harry was able to get muggle law enforcement. After a missing child was big news. Last time, Harry hadn’t been able to get this information out, but now he had a picture, and he knew what his child looked like. Though he had to change a few things with the information such as the school and the reward amount.

**_MISSING CHILD_ **  
**_LILY NARCISSA POTTER_ **  
**_ALSO KNOWN AS ASTER BROOKE CAMPBELL_ **  
**_Age: 11_ **  
**_Hair: Blonde_ **  
**_Eyes: Gray/Blue_ **  
**_Last Seen at Strathallan School_ **  
**_Suspected of Kidnapping: Lavender Brown_ **  
**_If you have any information, please contact Local Law Enforcement_ **  
**_REWARD: €10,000_ **

  
Harry wouldn’t rest until his daughter was back. Though now that she was missing again, he soon had to face his greatest blunder of not just his career, but of his life; imprisoning an innocent man to Azkaban.

Walking to the Ministry of Magic’s office, Harry knocked on the door. “Come in.” He opened the door and saw one of his oldest friends sitting at her desk, Hermione Granger. The woman had aged well, her frizzy hair now styled into a sleek bun that suited her very well. She also wore a gray blazer with a matching pencil skirt and a white blouse.

The brunette looked over and saw Harry, a man who seemed like a shadow of himself, but there was a new spark behind his speckles. She stood up and rushed over giving him a hug. Harry returned the hug. “I finally found her, and now she’s gone again,” he said.

“We’ll find her, she’ll be safe, and now we have better chances of trying to get her home,” she said to the man, but she narrowed her eyes a bit, “but I know that’s not why you’re here Harry.”

Harry pulled away from Hermione and said, “I need your help releasing Draco from Azkaban.”

Her eyes widen. “What? Why?”

“Because he’s innocent!” Harry screamed. He clutched his chest and couldn’t believe what he did, “Aster told me her mother’s name. Lavender Brown. I thought she was dead. I don’t understand why she did this, but Draco would have never harmed his own child. Polyjuice potion, of all things,” he said and held his face.

Hermione didn’t react to Harry’s screaming. After raising two children and years before, when it was just her, Harry and Ron, she wasn’t surprised by this. She knew it was better to let Harry burn himself out. The man did just that, and after flipping things off Hermione’s room, knocking over stuff off the wall and even flipping over Hermione’s desk, the man exhausted himself and was sitting against the wall.

Hermione looked around her office, “you know I wouldn’t do this to your office right?” She pulled out her wand and with a few flicks, the room seamlessly rearranged itself back to its proper order. Harry didn’t react to the room getting fixed up around him, but he felt better now that he vented. Hermione knelt down and said, “I can get him out of Azkaban, but you know, things won’t be the same. He won’t go running into your arms and proclaim his love for you.”

“I’m not expecting that,” Harry spoke seriously. “I know he’ll hate me, but Lavender not only took my daughter away from me, but she tore apart my family and that’s worst then Voldemort killing my parents.”

That was true. While a child could live without their parents so long as someone provided for them, a parent couldn’t live a day without thinking about their child. There were no words that could express the lost a parent felt when they lost a child. Hermione found herself fortunate enough to have her two children still with her safe and healthy. Harry looked at the woman and smiled, “thank you, Hermione.”

“Don’t mention it, Harry,” the woman said, “besides, he doesn’t deserve to be rotting in Azkaban if he’s innocent.” She stood up and headed for her desk and began writing up a release order for Draco Malfoy.

Harry watched her write, a smile on his face. His eyes darted to the photos on Hermione’s desk, his eyes catching sight of her two children. The red-haired girl who resembled her father, Ron, and the boy with the bushy brown, Hugo.

As soon as Hermione finished, she placed her seal on it and began to seal it in an envelope, but Harry stopped her from mailing it off, “Not until Lily is in my custody once more,” he said.

Hermione nodded and placed it in her desk and locked it in an enchanted box so no one else could get to it.

* * *

The night came, and with that, came heavy rain. Lavender snored away as though she was in the thickest part of sleep possible. The woman’s body always crashed after transformations, and now with the added stress of being on the run, she needed to rest.

This was Aster’s time to escape.

The blonde, who was faking sleep, opened her eyes and eased out of bed she was sharing with the woman. The woman only rented a room with one queen size bed. Aster looked around and found her shoes and quietly slipped them on. She looked around and saw the invisibility cloak and grabbed it. The girl looked over holding her breath as she began taking large but quiet steps, as though she was leaping across a stage, and went to the front door. She gave one last look to the woman who continued to sleep before she slowly opened the door and cracked it enough to slip out.

Aster pulled the cloak over her pajamas, and as she draped it over herself, she turned invisible. She began working the elevator, and when it opened up, she stepped inside. Thankfully no one else was on, but as soon as she hit the lobby floor, the girl began running to the exit. Even if she flung doors open, she wasn’t concerned about that. She was trying to escape the woman who had kidnapped her.

It was raining that night, and Aster was running through puddles without care. People who saw the water slapping all of a sudden did turn, but the cloak shielded the girl from muggles seeing her. The truth was, Aster had no idea where she was. She was lost, and she needed help. She didn’t know where she was heading in the dark of the stormy night, but Aster was glad she had her wand with her as well. She had left it hidden in the cloak, and as she was trying to get out of the rain, she began shouting, holding her wand out. She tried to think of anything to, but she soon fell and dropped her wand. As she promptly got up, now soaking wet from the puddle and rain, she picked up her wand and began heading for an alleyway, trying to think about what she could do.

The girl sat down on the ground in some alleyway near a building called “The Kings Wark.” As she caught her breath, the stress of the last two days really came crashing down on her. After all, she was told her life was mostly a lie, her mom wasn’t her mom, and her mom was actually a man named Harry Potter who was her mean Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Now she had snuck out of school because she refused to believe anything and the world as well be purple and red and the sky might as well rain down acid because she can’t seem to tell her left from her right anymore and on top of all that…she was alone and scared.

Aster began crying and grappling as her head, revealing her hands visible now. The child didn’t care at the moment! She was panicking. As the voices of adults all started to escalate in her mind, Aster felt her breathing quickened and her chest feeling tight. The girl felt like she needed to call out to someone, anyone, but who?! Her mom was a liar! She didn’t trust anyone else except for her friends, but they were at Hogwarts. She was still in a foreign land and in a strange town. She didn’t have her cat who could calm her down! Aster had never felt like this before. She arms tried to wrap themselves around her, but she felt so disjointed, and all she could do was move her hands around, as though she was about to grab her head, but couldn’t because something seemed to stop her, and she just let out a loud scream into the night before falling silent for a moment. Her breathing was vocalized, and she soon removed her hood, revealing drench blonde hair that naturally curled when wet.

The child soon found her hand pressed against one another, squeezed in silent prayer. She brought her knees up, leaned against the side of a building and began talking to herself, “I’m scared, and I don’t know what to do,” her hands shifted, her fingers interlocked, and she looked down at them. “I don’t know who to turn to anymore. My mom is a liar, and while I can’t prove it, I just know she lied to me, and she’s not even my mom! Professor Potter on the other hand,” she paused, trying to compose her running thoughts, “he says he’s my mom. I mean, it’s a little strange, ya know? My mom is a man. I mean, I would have accepted if he was my dad but my mom? If he’s my mom, then who’s my dad? What’s he like? I think he’s in prison somewhere because of me. Or rather, because of my mom. Well...technically yes my mom but GAH!” Aster pulled her hands apart as she heard a loud clap of thunder. Thunder never scared her, but she was always inside when it was raining hard. Now she was outside and alone and cold.

Aster found herself looking up at the sky, only to be smacked on the face with tiny rain pellets. “I don’t know who I am anymore,” Aster spoke aloud. She hugged her knees, resting her head on her kneecaps and pulled the hood over her head, turning invisible. “I want everything to go back to the way it was before all this. I want to go home and go ice skate like I used to before. I haven’t done it in a long time, so I’m a little out of practice but...I want to go back to when it was just like before. Before Hogwarts. Before getting deported,” the girl’s pleas were not heard by anyone else. She was alone in her sorrow. It was better that way.

Aster began curling on her left sided and using her hands as a cushion, laying on the ground, sleeping in the rain. As long as she couldn’t be found by the liar, she would be fine.

That’s what she told herself anyway.


	19. Chapter 19: Happy Halloween 2018!

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 19**

Aster woke up in an alleyway, undiscovered by anyone who had walked by. In the fogginess of sleep, she thought, for a moment, she saw Professor Potter. She sat up, though she soon realized she was alone. The invisibility cloak certainly hid her from anyone’s eyes. The girl sat up, her head spinning, and she fell back against the brick wall.

Aster should have realized that sleeping outside was a bad idea, but it wasn’t like she had thought about the repercussions of her actions. With the soaking wet cloak over her body, it felt like lead. She took it off and began wringing out as much water as she could. She hoped it wasn’t dry clean only. At least it still worked. She put it on again, and making sure she was invisible, she began walking down the street.

The girl kept a hand on the side of a building, keeping her balance. She felt weak and dizzy. Not only had sickness over her, but hunger was Epping it’s way to the girl. She hadn’t eaten anything in over twenty-four hours and while she was very lean, she had never missed a meal. The last meal she had was the roast beef from dinner at the Hufflepuff table. She pulled out her wand, seeing that it too was wet from rain, making it feel as though she was carrying around a wet stick. She didn’t think wands would soak up water like normal sticks now.

She didn’t even want to risk performing any spells at the moment.

The City of Edinburgh, Scotland was a beautiful city that resembled something out of a children’s book with it’s castle-like buildings; at least to the American girl. Though through hazy eyes, she might as well be seeing medieval castles with princesses guarded by dragons and knights in shining armor.

If she were a princess in distress, where was her prince charming?

The girl reached up, lowering her hood and revealing her head; only her head. The girl didn’t know the guy behind her had seen this and jumped up in fear. Aster turned, seeing the average looking guy suddenly fainting. Aster slowly put her hood up and decided that keeping it on was the best option. 

* * *

 

Lavender woke up childless. She went on a searching spree, and she called out Aster, trying all sorts of spells such as “ _Accio Aster_ ” and “ _Accio Invisibility Cloak_ ,” to which she didn’t get any responses out of. She then began searching on foot. Taking a photo, she had of Aster (she always had a photo of Aster) and began asking random people on the streets, “have you seen my daughter?”

A mother trying to find her daughter, that got people’s attention.

As Lavender was trying to build up sympathy from some people, someone had a flyer and without revealing it, asked, “what’s your name?”

“Lavender! My Name is Lavender, and my daughter’s name is Aster! Please help me!” The woman said, trying to gander sympathy from the bystanders. 

“Oi! Lady! It says here you’re the kidnapper!” The man said and pointed to the woman. That _really_ got people’s attention, especially when the guy also mentioned the €10,000 on the flyer. Lavender paled and pulled out her wand, “fuck it,” she said and pointed her wand at everyone staring.

“ _Avada Kedavra_.”

* * *

  _“A mass suicide pact took place today in Edinburgh as over thirty adults were found dead in the streets and not a single cause of death externally. Medical investigators are doing research on the bodies to see what internal causes of these people’s deaths. Officers on scene suspect cyanide tablets however there is no concrete evidence of those substances being used. In other news…”_

“Turn that noise off Vernon! Honestly! Daisy should not be seeing such images,” Petunia exclaimed as she reached over and changed the channels and changed it to a movie. Vernon rolled his eyes, the blubbering man still as large and unpleasant as ever. “It’s the news! That’s for all to see ya know!” He exclaimed at his wife and pouted in his seat, looking down to a three-year-old child.

The girl was very adorable, with blonde locks and beautiful blue eyes. She was also in a light blue Dorothy Dress with plastic red sparkly shoes on. “Twick-ow-Tweat!” The girl clapped happily, eagerly waiting for the old man shook his head, “you know that cuteness of yours will wear off eventually. I happened with your sister and it happened with your brother.” He said sternly to the child. The girl only got up and went to the old man, “Twick-treat!” She said still smiling, unable to understand the old man’s harsh words.

There was a knock at the door and two adults came in. Dudley Dursley was not the man of his youth. He was happy and caring, especially to his lovely with, and that showed in their costumes. Dudley was wearing a silver costume with matching silver face paint and a silver funnel as a hat since he was the Tin Man. Hi beautiful wife, Lizzy, was wearing a pink fairy dress as she was the Good Fairy of the North that also showed off her pregnant belly proudly. Lizzy was a light-tanned woman with chocolate-colored eyes and a sparkling yet modest smile. “Sorry we’re late! We got some candy for you guys to pass out to the other kids who come to visit!” Lizzy said and Petunia walked over, smiling happily. “Aww look at you! You’re still glowing!” The blonde woman said. Though she didn’t like the woman at first, the woman gave her three, soon to be four, grandchild. Lizzy smiled, “oh gosh Petunia, if I look as good as you do, I think I would conquer the world,” she said. The woman was a charmer, that was for sure and easily amused. She gasped and saw the new flat screen TV that was playing a commercial, “oh my! That’s must be a new TV! What is that? A 50-inch?” She asked.

“70-inch, with surround sound and 4K imaging!” Vernon boasted proudly. “Mommy!” The little girl ran over to the good fairy. The woman smiled and let the girl hug her bottom of the dress with amusement. Dudley laughed and knelt down and picked up the little girl, kissing her cheek. “Diana and DJ are in the car, they want us to hurry up,” he said.

“Oh no Diddykins!” Petunia said. “You get them out and I’m going to take all of your photos!” Petunia stated as she, pulled form her apron, a digital camera. “I must have all the photos of the children as I can get!” Petunia insisted. Dudley playfully rolled his eyes and looked to Lizzy, “are you up for a photo session darlin’?”

“As long as I’m with my strong mister-man I am,” Lizzy said, going over to hug her husband and the two kissed lovingly, to which Petunia managed to get a photo of the two of them. The woman smiled, “hurry and get the kids! I must see they’re beautiful costumes!” Lizzy looked over and said, “I’ll go get them.”

As Lizzy left to get the kids from the car, Petunia approached Dudley wearily, “I’m noticing a theme,” she said a little uneasy. “Diana isn’t dressed as…the _“w”_ word, is she?” Petunia asked uneasily. Ever since Harry left their family, it was best they never mention wizards or magic ever again in their families. So far, it's worked out well for them. Everyone was normal muggles who did normal things. 

Dudley glared a bit, “no mother, she’s not,” he said and in a quick second, smiled and said, “you’ll love her costume.” The older woman nodded and soon began heading outside, where she saw the most handsome scarecrow and the most adorable lion.

Dudley Junior, or DJ as he was commonly called, was an eight-year-old boy dressed as the scarecrow with a dark green flannel short with a felt hat and straw sticking out in the hands and in his hat. His face was also painted with red circles and a canvas square piece of fabric sowed into the flannel at the collar. 

The elder girl, a recently turned eleven-year-old Diana Dursley, stood in a lion costume with a light tan skin-tight leotard and a tail sowed in the back of it, her natural thin blonde hair that she inherited from father hidden by a hood with lion ears on it. The chubby girl, who eerily resembled Dudley in his youth, stood feeling embarrassed and steaming in silent fumes. Her face was stained red from tears shed earlier but with the black whiskers painted on her cheeks and the black on her nose hide that from Petunia. “I wish I had a skirt at least,” the girl grumbled aloud.

“Oh! That would have been adorable!” Petunia said and told the family to group together. As the four happy Dursleys and the one annoyed Dursley grouped together, Petunia held the camera out, “say Halloween!” She exclaimed and as soon as the family said it, Petunia took several photos quickly, and when she asked for just a photo of the kids, Dudley put the little girl, Daisy, down and they bunched together. Petunia continued to take photos, and she couldn’t help but gush over her grandchildren.

Diana turned her heel, heading back to her father’s red Jaguar SUV, “I’m ready to get this over with!” DJ hurried to the car as well and got in on the other side. Petunia frowned at Diana’s attitude, “is she okay?”

Lizzy sighed, nodded, “she just had a rough day at school. She’ll cheer up once she starts getting candy.” Dudley nodded along, but her felt bad for his eldest daughter, knowing she’s been having a hard time. He knelt down and picked up Daisy and opened the back seat to get his child in her car seat. Lizzy smiled at the old woman, hugging her, “I’ll be sure to post some photos of Facebook later tonight,” she said and as soon headed to the car, getting in the passenger seat. Dudley soon got in the driver’s side and with a wave, they pulled out of the driveway. 

Petunia headed inside, seeing her husband setting back in his seat with the bag of Halloween candy and the remote, changing the channel back to the news. Petunia gave an annoyed roll of her eyes, but when she suddenly heard the name Potter on the TV, she looked over. _“Authorities are still on the look for missing child, Lily Potter, an eleven-year-old who had been taken away from her boarding school a few days ago.”_

The image of a blonde girl’s face and the name “Lily Potter” made Petunia pale. Harry had disconnected from the Dursleys, even if Dudley had tried to stay in some contact, but they haven’t seen Harry Potter, the boy who once lived in their cupboard, in over a decade. She would have passed it off if only the girl’s name wasn’t Lily.

“Did _that boy_ have kids?” Vernon asked.

“No idea,” Petunia said. She shook it off, “besides that child looks too normal to belong to him,” she said dismissing it and went over and grabbed a handful of candy from the bag and headed for the kitchen, going to eat herself in a nervous fit.

* * *

Aster’s journey was taking her to many places. After finding a train station, Kings Cross, she felt a sense of relief overcame her as she headed inside the train station. The girl smiled and headed inside the station and walked along the numbers, seeing the numbers 9 and 10 platforms.

The girl distinctly remembered how she ran through the gate with…Lavender and she was also told that she needed a running start. The girl's feverish thoughts were that if this was the portal to the wizarding world like that time, then it should still be the portal now. Aster clung to her invisibly cloak from the inside and held it close. She took a deep breath and she started running into the platform, only to run directly into the wall.

The barrier was only open on September first for people to access.

Aster crumbled to the ground, holding her head as she had hit that against the brick, and as she reached up and held her head, unintentionally removing the cloak from her body, she began crying in pain. Her pink pajama shirt and light blue pajama bottoms revealed, appearing dirty and wrinkled, the girl’s blonde hair was uncontrollably frizzy. She pulled her left hand away from her forehead, revealing blood from the scrap she received from trying to go through the portal.

The girl tried to get up, but she couldn’t. Her head was hurting and spinning too much and all she wanted to do was cry herself to sleep. She closed her eyes slowly and slumped down, blood lightly trickling down her forehead. She started to see flashing lights, and she used her head to cover it.

_“You heard it here ladies and gentlemen! Representing the United States of America. Five-time world champion and she’s only eleven years old. She’s our Shooting Star on the ice! The little Twinkle and our eyes! Welcome to the ice our Beloved Miss Aster Campbell!” She heard a man’s voice announce and Aster found herself on the ice rink, skating and waving to the crowd. The girl was in a beautiful light blue diamond studded tight dress with her hair pulled into a formal bun. “Amazing to believe that little girl is something else. She is proof that at any age, you can achieve your dreams! Today she will be performing her famous free skate performance. “Shooting Star” by The Bag Raiders, piano covered by Toms Mucenieks.”_

_Aster got to the center of the ice, and with a calming breath, she bowed to the audience and waited for the arena to go silent, and the lights to dim. When the first note is heard, she moved with it in a similar slow raise. As the piano began to pick up, she did as well. She moved her feet to the same rhythm of the downbeat of the music and as the music slowed down, she maintained her speed, but leaning back a bit, still keeping balance surprisingly._

_Just as the music began its famous meme rhythm, she began spinning, alternation her foot, her arms in a circle over her head, showing off her flexibility for about four spins until she began gliding on the ice. Her body leaned back, making her turn naturally to the crowd as waved to them as she did so, happily smiling at them. Trailing behind her, a light purple stream, her magic, and she jumped, doing a triple axel, which made the crowd jump in cheer, soon going into a triple lux and landing perfectly._

_Ice skating was dancing on the ice, and Aster knew ballet. It was a helpful skill when she beautifully danced to the piano. She body was also like a wave in motion, and as she kicked off to perform two double-toe-loops and to kick off her leg in the air and begin spinning with maintained speed. The trail behind her expanding and circling around her, making the young figure skater glowing in a ray of light purple bliss. The audience was in aww (obviously) and as the girl slowed down as the song died down, she stopped and bowed to the crowd. Standing applause and as flowers and stuffed animals were being thrown at her, she felt suddenly blinded by the flashing lights once more. She began to see a man among the faceless crowd. She began skating forward, toward the edge of the rink, wondering why he looked so familiar. The flashing lights seemed to blind her even more and everything around her seemed to vanish, except for the shadow figure; and she soon saw green eyes._

* * *

 

Harry was taking in false alarms for the sighting of his daughter when he got a call from a muggle hospital; Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland. He took the call, and the emergency nurse on hard said a child was brought in and needed medical attention. Harry immediately stated that he was on his way to see if this was a confirmed sighting.

He apparated as close to the hospital as she could and walked inside after walking through the parking lot. He approached the desk, “I’m here for the little girl. I’m her father and head office in head of her search,” he said and pulled out the girl’s photo and his muggle police badge that all Aurors had in order to infiltrate muggle hospitals on official business. The receptionists called the nurse to the triage and when he explained who he was and how he was here for the girl, she led him to the back.

“She was found dehydrated and feverish with a head wound. We’ve been trying to wake her up because we fear she might have a concussion,” she explained and pulled the current back and showed the girl unconscious with a white gauze around her head and IVs injected into her arm to help her get fluids in her. She had been changed into a hospital gown and her clothing was bagged up in plastic sealed bags. “Those were on her,” she said, pointed to the bags in a bin. Harry’s eyes widen as he saw the invisibility cloak and while it may have been wet, it was still it and it was the real one.

The one he thought Draco had stolen from him.

He also saw the wand. It was too stylized to be mistaken for an ordinary stick. It had a handle on it and looked as though it had been carved. Harry looked to his child and relief washed over him. He turned to the nurse, “thank you!” He hugged her and smiled, “thank you so much!” He said and grabbed a chair and sat down next to the unconscious girl. The nurse felt a little strange, but she had seen parents in relief before over their child’s well-being.

Aster soon began to stir and moved her hand to block the light, “too bright,” she mumbled softly and began to open her eyes. Harry felt his heart sore. “Lily! Lily! You’re awake.”

“My namesnot Lily,” she slurred, trying to wake up.

That was not a good sign.

The nurse approached and smiled, “hello their sleepy head. Happy Halloween,” she said. Aster felt her head hurt as the light burned her eyes. The nurse went over and dimmed it down a bit, making the girl relax a bit. Aster looked confused, though in her position, she was allowed to be, “whendidbecome’Alloween?” She mumbled.

Harry smiled and said, “tonight. Tonight is Halloween. Maybe once you’re feeling better, I can get you something sweet to eat. Would you like that?”

Aster cracked a small smile, “I wa’n ca-dy.”


	20. Chapter 20: Family Connections

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 20**

The late autumn breeze picked up colorful leaves after weeks of beautiful weather. Perfect for jumping in large piles of the foliage and doing things like going to the pumpkin patch and enjoying the last touch of the season before winter arrived.

Aster was unable to enjoy the post-Halloween season. Due to her mild concussion, she had been locked away in some large house she was not familiar with and with a professor who felt more Jekyll and Hyde. When she met the professor, he had a scold on his face and his piercing green eyes stabbed daggers into the souls of children who dared to approach him. Now he was the completely opposing that and was wearing a frilly pink apron and had a pan of warm freshly baked cookies. “Lily~ I made you a snack~”

The girl was in a room that she understood had been hers. The walls were a soft cream white color with brand new white furniture. The pink on the bed sheets and anything else fabric gave the room a feminine feeling that Aster loved. When she had first arrived at the house outside of a village called Godric's Hollow, Aster was taken back by how large it was. She had been here for only a few days and since and had only seen a fraction of the living quarters. She’s seen the living room, kitchen, the bathroom, and her room.

The man came into the room and Aster looked over from her bed, where she had been sitting. Harry had let his hair down, revealing long dark locks with silver strains hidden and he no longer bore the thick beard and mustache, now sporting a clean shave. “Hello Darling,” He said as she held the plate of cookies. “I hope you like Chocolate chip,” he said. Aster looked at the cookies and smiled at the aroma. Despite her misgivings, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching over and took a cookie and began eating it. They were good but Aster said that about a lot of cookies. They weren’t as amazing as her recipe or even the recipe from the ones at Hogwarts. She still smiled and continued to eat. Harry gazed lovingly at his daughter. He was beginning to see more of him in bed. While Aster was a blonde, she had warm blonde tones compared to the Malfoy’s platinum blonde and the girl had thicker hair, a trait from Harry’s side of the family especially how messy it could be. The girl’s eyes, while grey, was in a softer, rounder shape with large eyelashes. 

The man reached over subconsciously to touch his daughter’s hair, but she looked at him with a flinch and he stopped himself, pulling back, “you have something on your cheek,” he said uneasily. Aster wiped her cheek with the back of her wrist and asked, “did I get it?”

Harry nodded and took a cookie for himself. He wanted to strike up a conversation with the child and he pondered for a bit about what to say. It certainly didn’t feel natural to talk to the girl and while he had so many questions, asking her all at once may overwhelm her. The raven-haired man looked at the delicacy in his hand and asked, “are chocolate chip cookies your favorite?”

Aster shook her no. “I like them! They’re great as a dessert! But my all-time favorite cookies are the snickerdoodles!” She smiled and giggled, “the name alone makes it fun to say!”

Harry smiled and saw a reflection of his own smile in the girl. While Draco smiled before, it was always more of a cocky smirk, something James had inherited from him. Aster’s smile was innocently and sincere. “I’ll make some snickerdoodles next time then,” Harry said and put the plate down on the right stand. He looked back at the girl, “what else do you like?”

“In terms of cookies?” Aster asked.

“No. In general,” Harry said. “We’ve missed out on eleven years together and I want to make up for that lost time Lily.”

Aster frowned, “my name isn’t Lily,” she said uneasily. She didn’t like confrontation, but she didn’t know how many times how she had said that. Harry looked uneasy and said, “it’s the name I gave you.” 

“Why?” Aster asked, “I mean, I don’t like it. I mean, Lily is so common. Aster isn’t. Plus, you can call me Star! Or Asta! It’s obviously the better name!”

“It was my mother’s name,” Harry admitted solemnly. Aster’s face broke by how insensitive she just sounded like. “Oh…I’m sorry…I didn’t know.” Harry lowered his head and appeared solemn. “James was named after my father and you were named after my mother.”

“Oh...so what’s my full name? The one you gave me?” Aster asked out of curiosity.

“Lily Narcissa Potter-Malfoy," Harry responded instantly, as though he had been waiting to tell her that for a long time. The girl blinked in surprise by how long that name was. “Why is it so long? And why do I have two last names?” 

Harry smiled, “your middle name is the name of your paternal grandmother, Narcissa. You have a hyphenated surname because your father and I couldn’t agree on which the last name to keep so we just kept ours.”

“My father?” Aster asked. “You mean the one who is in Azkaban?” Harry’s eyes widen. He looked very uneasy and nodded, “yes.”

“Is he still there?” Aster asked with a soft voice. 

Harry nodded again.

“Why is he there?” Aster asked with a bit more volume in her tone. 

Harry looked pained said, “because he did a very bad thing.”

Aster didn’t like that answer, “did he though?”

Just as Harry was about to ponder a response, it seemed someone was knocking on the door. Harry smiled knowing who it was. The Potter male had placed upwards around his house since some vultures at The Daily Prophet wanted pictures of Aster while she was recovering. “I’ll be right back.” He said and left the room. Aster got up, revealing a light pink nightgown she was wearing and walked to the sealed window. She looked down and saw strange adults and one little boy who seems to be hiding behind a woman with brown hair. 

Aster moved and headed to the closet. Now she didn’t know how, but all the clothing was in her exact size but not really her style. Aster always had a frilly style of clothing. Dresses, pinks, and cool-toned clothing. These clothes looked like they were someone’s hand-me-down jeans and shirts in unflattering sweatshirts and plain tees. While she has worn jeans before, never something that looked so worn and used.

And the shoes! Do not get her started in the shoes! 

She made do and picked out the cutest pair of pants and top she could find and got dressed quickly. She wore light blue jeans with a white shirt with a graphic of some band she didn’t know and slipped on the shoes, tapping the toes of the shoes to make sure they fitted properly and began rushing downstairs to see who was there. It had been just her and Harry for the last few days and the girl was getting stir crazy.

Aster rushed downstairs and headed to the living room where she skidded to a halt. There were three adults in the room and one boy. Aster tried to pose herself and said, “hello!”

The man with red hair looked very familiar to Aster. Ron’s eyes widen as he saw the girl as well. “You were at the bookstore! I remember you!” Aster exclaimed. “You knew my mom!”

Harry was biting in tongue when Aster made that comment about “her mom.” Hermione looked uncomfortable but she smiled at the girl, “it’s nice to meet you. My name is Hermione.” She said. “I’m an old friend of your dad’s.”

“Which one?” Aster asked as she looked at Harry. The man sighed, “my friend. Lily dear, please go upstairs. I need to have a word with my friends.” He sighed. Ron smiled and looked at the boy, “Hugo why don’t you go play with Aster to keep her company,” he said. The boy nodded and the two kids went running up the stairs and as soon as the door slammed shut, Ron and Hermione looked at Harry.

“She doesn’t fully understand how hurtful saying that is,” Hermione said but Harry shook his head. “I know. Doesn’t make it hurt any less,” he said with a sigh. The two came over to discuss a few things, and that included Draco Malfoy’s innocence and possible release. 

Hermione put her suitcase on the coffee table and opened it, revealing the enchanted box that held Draco’s release papers. Harry hesitated for a moment to fully release him. He knew better and as Hermione opened the pocket with a password, the letter revealed itself and with a final spell, she sent it off. While Owl mail was the preferred method of sending mail, newer and more effective ways of sending important documents were used.

They were a sigh escaping all of their collective mouths as they sighed. Harry especially was riddled with guilt and the knowledge that he had been wrong bothered him. It wasn’t just that he was wrong and made a mistake, he had thrown his ex-husband to Azkaban. It reminded him of his Godfather Sirius, and how he was falsely accused of imprisonment.

* * *

Aster took Hugo to her room. The boy was clearly younger then Aster, so she didn’t know what game she could play with him. She didn’t have many toys, not that Professor Potter would even know what to buy her, but she thought maybe James would have something to play with.

“So, what do you wanna do?” Aster asked.

“Got any video games?” He asked.

“No,” Aster asked. The boy thought for a moment and as he looked around, he asked, “well we can go outside and play?”

“I don’t think so. Professor Potter doesn’t want me to leave the house,” Aster said. The brunette boy raised an eyebrow, “how come you call him Professor Potter when he’s your dad?”

“I don’t feel comfortable calling him dad. He doesn’t call me by my name,” Aster said. That was the easy answer. The hard answer was that she didn’t feel any sort of connection to the man downstairs. He felt like a stranger to her. Even all the good that he’s done for her, Aster felt as though there was this big distance between the two of them.

“So why can’t we play outside?” Hugo asked, looking out the bedroom window. Aster looked over and all she could see was a lot of greenery and trees. 

“Something about me being hurt?” Aster replied. While it’s been a few days since she came home for the hospital and even going to a wizarding hospital for more “effective treatments” she was still on bedrest because concussions were trickier than just regrowing bones or something like that. Hugo sighed, ready to leave and head back downstairs. Aster suddenly remembered something and asked, “hey Hugo. Is your sister Rose Weasley?” She asked.

“Yeah. You met her at the bookstore,” Hugo said.

“She said something a while ago. About not wanting James to be her brother. Do you know what that was about?” Aster asked. She didn’t know why they suddenly came to her head, but it did. Actually, the more that Aster looked at Hugo, she noticed some interesting comparisons to him and the man downstairs. Hugo’s eyes were not brown, they were a green-brown hazel mix and his eyes were a few shades darker than the woman downstairs.

Hugo shrugged, “maybe because him Uncle Harry and my Dad are close,” he answered nonchalantly. Aster blinked in confusion. “Just because they’re friends?”

“No,” the boy answered plainly. It seemed as though he knew something that not even his intelligent mother did not know about. The older child was confused. Hugo looked at the girl with a gaze similar to his mother’s and rolled his eyes.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up and after they had discussed a few things that needed to be done in the next few weeks in terms of holiday celebrations and whatnot, there was another knock at the door. The knocks were heavy and rapid. Harry got up, pulling out his wand from his apron and approached the door, and saw two angry Malfoys; Lucius and Narcissa.

“Where is she?” Lucius made his way inside. Narcissa was just as upset but she had the common sense to not barge in so carelessly. Harry felt his headache increase. “I don’t think you should see her yet. She’s still adjusting to everything,” Harry stated.

“We are her grandparents! You threw our son away in Azkaban and prevented us from contacting our grandson for a long time,” Lucius stated. Narcissa looked at Harry, “we have a right to see her.”

“Lily is not in a good state at the moment. Please let me explain,” Harry said.

“My name is not Lily.”

From the top of the stairs, Aster stood, looking visibly upset. She came down and saw the new people. She was taken back by the other adults. They looked like her! It felt as though she was looking at a surreal mirror of herself. The man had long silvery locks but she and him shared the same eye color. The woman, though she had black hair and blonde underneath, looked like her if she was elderly. Narcissa broke into a joyous smile when she saw the little girl. “You’re even more beautiful in person,” she said. Aster noticed the paper in her hands that she was clutching close to her chest.

“Um…hello,” Aster said as she walked down more steps. “My name is Aster. Who are you?”

“Aster,” Narcissa whispered happily, a hand extending to her husband in reaction, “I’m your grandmother,” Narcissa spoke. “And I’m your grandfather,” Lucius said as he looked at the child.

There hadn’t been a single Malfoy female born on over hundreds of years. Now there she was. Draco’s daughter. They could clearly see the resemblance between her and their son and even James. Aster’s hair was messy but blonde and her eyes as silver as the moon and while she had Harry’s face shape, Draco’s face was clearly seen in her.

There was also a connection.

Aster couldn’t explain it, but she felt a spark when she first saw the two. She couldn’t explain it. It felt as though that she just knew that there two were her family. Unlike meeting Lavender’s parents, who just seemed like strangers to Aster, the child felt a connection with Narcissa and Lucius. In one quick movement, Aster came down more and the two older adults embraced Aster in a hug and Aster happily returned the hug. Aster hadn’t felt the warmth of love spread through her as she did at this moment.

Ron and Hermione smiled as the girl was hugged by the two elder Malfoys, but Harry was livid when he saw the bright smile of the girl. The realization that he and _his daughter_ did not have the bond that he had been looking for ever since she was taken away from him. He stood there, his smile not even visible anymore. And if _his daughter_ bonded so instantly with the Malfoys, did that mean she would bond with Draco just as easier.

The thought of Aster having a better and even closer connection to the Malfoys made Harry regret his decision to release Draco from Azkaban at that moment.

* * *

There was no such thing as sunlight in Azkaban. Dark skies reminded, only a shift in tone from black to dark blue to dark dray as the seasons changed and as day turned to night. Though no more dementors reminded, that didn’t mean demons didn’t lurk the halls and cries of pain didn’t echo.

An official ministry official approached the halls, walking in with two aurors that acted as a guard and two very familiar Malfoys walked behind. They approach a door that sent Lucius shivers down his spine. He still recalled his time in Azkaban over a decade ago and he did not wish to relive it. Visitors to the prison was forbidden since they discovered the truth of how one Barty Crouch Jr. managed to escape. The ministry official was a man in his early thirties and went by the name of Bret Houghton. He was Hermione Granger’s protégé at the Ministry of Magic. He was handsome with a grizzled bread and light brown hair that was slicked back.

“Open the cell,” Bret ordered showed the release orders from the Minister of Magic, Hermione Granger-Weasley.

The man pulled out the key and turned to unlock the door, revealing what appeared to be a shadowed figure. Draco Malfoy’s hair had grown out and was matted with grim and in dreadlocks his skin a ghostly pale that showed all of his scars and bruises promptly. He didn’t even turn to look at the strangers who opened his door. “Draco Malfoy, you have been found innocent of any crimes and therefore are now to be released from Azkaban,” Bret stated in a formal tone of voice. He moved aside and Narcissa was quick to move in and hug her dear son, crying with tears of joy.

Draco didn’t even comprehend that he was being hugged.

The guard went over and knelt down, unshackling his feet from the wall and movement came to Draco. A spark returned to his eyes, a dim spark, but a spark none the less. “Mother?” His voice was quiet as he wrapped an arm around the woman. Narcissa pulled away and cupped her hands in Draco’s eyes. His cheeks were sunken in and shallow, and his eyes had such heavy bags under them. Draco slowly moved his head to see his father, who was just had happy as the woman who was holding his face. “Father?” He couldn’t believe his eyes. He looked at the two adults back and forth for a moment and he said, “I didn’t do it.” Words he had been crying out for years.

“We know Draco! We’ve known this entire time!” Narcissa cried and hugged her son again. She whispered softly to him, “she’s been found. She’s okay. Your daughter is okay.” The woman pulled away and dug something from her pocket, revealing a photo of Aster from her pocket. It was cut out from the wanted poster and in it, it showed the girl smiling brightly. “Her name is Aster. She’s been found. She’s okay. She’s safe.”

“As…ter…” Draco said the name and took the picture. He looked over to the sky, seeing something he hadn’t seen in a very long time; the night sky. As he stared, he saw a shooting star. “Aster…a star…a shooting star.” His shoulders began to shake as he cracked the first smile he had in over a decade as a sense of overwhelming relief overcame in and the man broke down into tears. “My daughter…my wish came true…my daughter is alive!” He said and hugged his mother without a care in the world.

He would be set free.


	21. Chapter 21: Meeting Draco Malfoy

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 21**

_On November 16, 2018, after over eleven years of imprisonment, falsely accused convict Draco Malfoy has been released from Azkaban under Minister of Magic, Hermione Granger._

Harry had read the Daily Prophet over a hundred times, but he wouldn’t believe it until he would see the blonde male before. It would be difficult to see him again. After years of therapy to help him cope with not only having his child ripped out of his stomach, but seeing Draco’s face as that happened. His breathing was shaky as he breathed through his nose, his heart thudding painfully. The Potter was sitting at the kitchen table, coffee made, extra strong on the caffeine to help his shaky nerves. He placed a hand subconsciously on his stomach. His scar still remained from the incision and he was haunted by the man’s face he had once claimed to love. He couldn’t have any more children if he wanted to carry them. Lavender Brown…she ruined his life. She was still out there, somewhere…and what was worse was that she had his child’s love when it should have been his and Draco’s.

Harry stood up and headed upstairs quietly. He walked to the room he had once sealed away for no one but for him to access. However now, someone was occupying it. Harry opened the door slowly, peeking in to see the girl sleeping peacefully. Lily, or as she called herself, _Aster_ , was even more beautiful then Harry could imagine. It wasn’t that she resembled himself, no, aside from her nose and a few other minor details, she took after her father, Draco’s side in terms of appearance. Lily had his hair, only a few shades darker than his platinum blonde, and his eye color. Perhaps it was true what they say, girls resemble their fathers. Though in terms of hair texture and messiness, she got that from Harry’s side of the family.

It almost pained him to wake her up. Beside her sleeping body was a black cat, purring loving beside her stomach. As a token of good faith, Harry had gone back to Hogwarts and picked up the cat, along with many of the girl's belongings so that she may have some clothes and her companion around. The cat soon sensed Harry’s presence and woke up. The cat oddly named Wednesday, stretched and let out a “row” as she yawned. Despite the opposite in both color and species, Wednesday reminded Harry of his beloved owl, Hedwig.

As the cat started to climb over Aster, the girl started to stare. It was better to wake her up fully. Harry reached over and gently grabbed her shoulder, shaking it a bit. “Lily, it’s time to wake up,” he spoke gently.

Aster turned, mumbling, “that’s not my name,” she mumbled. She refused to be addressed by that name, but Harry refused to call her Aster now that he knows the truth on who she was. She was his child, a truth that not only magic proved, but testing proved accurately. Harry’s frustration grew as he had this struggled with the girl. “It’s time for breakfast and get dress. Today’s a very important day.”

Aster got up, her blonde curls morphed into a frizzy mess overnight and Harry could help but smile, “definitely my hair type if it was longer,” he said with amusement. The girl got up and saw herself in a nearby mirror, groaning as she knew the pain of having to brush her hair of this madness. It hurt so much! Some days she wanted to chop it all off but she didn’t look good with short hair. Thankfully it grew back quickly, like magic.

She was in pajamas though not the same shirt and pants. The top was pink with some character on it, and her pants were blue with a character from a cartoon Harry actually remembered from his childhood. Aster began brushing her hair, which was a lot of screaming and crying from her due to how painful it was. Harry had an idea and left the room for a moment, only to return with a small container of white cream. “Here, use this,” He got behind her and began putting the cream in her hair. It was actually the Potter’s famous wild hair manager cream. It manages the most unruly hair. It worked like magic (pun intended) and soon Aster’s wild locks became more manageable and straighter. Some curl was still in her locks but Harry could brush her hair and it wouldn’t result in tears and broken hairbrushes.

“Wow, Professor Potter! That stuff’s amazing!” Aster exclaimed.

“Yes, it is. Our family made it. It’s how my side of the family had acquired so much wealth,” Harry said, though he didn’t like being called Professor Potter as much as he didn’t like her being called Aster.

“Wait a minute,” Aster turned to him, “you’re telling me…we’re rich?!” She asked with a surprised expression. “Like…I’ll never have to worry about money ever in my life rich?!”

“Yes but you know money isn’t everything right?” Harry said.

“My mom and I were barely getting by! So as someone who has gone hungry? Money is everything!” Aster said. Harry stopped brushing her hair and looked horrified. “You were homeless?”

“For a little bit. Mom was in-between jobs and well…at least she had magic to help us get by,” Aster smiled. “It’s not a big deal. We had each other and it was like camping since it was during one summer.”

Harry resumed brushing her hair and asked, “do you want it up in a ponytail or left down?”

“I want it down if you don’t mind,” Aster said and after a few more brushes. “Thank you for fixing my hair!” Aster smiled and Harry’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t seen that smile…ever. It was bright and stunning. It wasn’t like his smile or even Draco’s smile. It was her own smile. Wide and bright. Harry smiled in returned and said, “you’re welcome.”

Harry would cherish moments like this. It was the small things he missed out on the most. Things he should have been there for her. Harry looked at the mirror, seeing his daughter and himself at the same moment. It reminded him of the time he had seen his family for the first time in the Mirror of Erised his first year of Hogwarts. For the past eleven years, if he had looked into that particular mirror once more, he would have seen Aster’s face as it was now, smiling at him.

* * *

Aster was wearing a dress Narcissa had picked out for her. Having a granddaughter meant she would have a female to adorn in beautiful jewels and finery, and in a family full of males, she longed for a female family member. Aster was wearing a white dress with lace along with a fitted cloak that had a cap on it that covered her shoulders, black in color. Aster looked down at her shoes, which reminded her of the slip-one she wore as a baby and had seen in photos of herself. “You look, lovely darling,” Narcissa said as she knelt down and cupped Aster’s cheek. The girl smiled, blushing and obviously flattered by the compliment. Aster only ever felt pretty when she was dressed up for a figure skating competition, something that hasn’t happened in a long time.

Today was the day that she was to meet someone, though she knew who it was, the built up to this day and she wasn’t going alone. Harry would be going to make sure Aster wasn’t alone but also to apologize to someone who clearly deserved it a thousand times over Draco Malfoy. Harry hadn’t seen Draco in person since…before Aster was born…and when he had woken up from a coma that lasted a full week, Harry’s testimony had sealed the deal on Draco’s fate.

Harry had truly believed at the time it was Draco who had tried to kill him and taken away his child.

Aster was soon hugged by Narcissa before the women stood up properly and spoke, “hold your head high Aster. You are a Malfoy and we hold ourselves well,” she said and winked at her, “and we Malfoy women must hold ourselves as though we carry the entire world on our shoulders.” Aster followed the woman’s led, and in a way, she felt like she was going to perform suddenly. She could easily prim herself up and resemble a well-groomed prat, but in her heart, Aster was modest and hardworking, a Hufflepuff.

And as soon as they headed out the door with Harry soon beside her, taking her hand, they apparated out of Harry’s home, and to the Malfoy Manor.

* * *

The first thing Aster noticed about the Malfoy Manor was that it was very large but scary looking, like a horror movie house. Aster was led inside the manor by Harry and Narcissa. Harry’s eyes looked sad, guilty, as though he spilled over milk and blamed it on the cat. Narcissa’s eyes were filled with sadness as well, only Aster had never seen eyes like hers at the moment, but they were so sad and Aster wanted to make her feel better. However, she didn’t have a moment to ask what was wrong, as she was led through a corridor and into a large living room. It was there that Aster stopped and went wide-eyed.

There were two Grandpa Lucius's!

Harry looked stunned as well, and Aster looked up, seeing a tear fall down his cheek from emerald green eyes. “Draco?” Harry spoke quietly.

Aster looked over at the two Malfoys, one of them flinching painfully as he turned and saw the child.

Draco has aged poorly since his time in Azkaban. His cheeks were sunken in and the platinum blonde hair a ghostly white color and much longer. He had several baths since he was let go from prison, but dark marks still littler his flesh, hidden by thick cloaks. Aster assumed he was very cold by how he was shivering. She was nervous, but she began approaching the man. Many would be scared to look at such a man who looked broken. As though he was near death. The girl could see the man from earlier photos through him. The two were silent as they looked at each other. Unlike with Professor Potter, Aster could feel a connection to this man despite this being her first time meeting him. If her mom, Lavender, has told her that this was her father, she would have believed it.

But this was her _father._

Aster reached out, slowly taking Draco’s hand, her warm hand to Draco’s cold hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said smiling softly to the man.

Draco couldn’t believe that she was here. For over a decade, he thought his daughter was dead. Murdered by some monster. He knew he was innocent, but no one believed him. He was Imprisoned on a crime he did not commit and no one but his parents believed him. Not even the love of his old life. Speaking of, he looked at Harry, the man holding a guilt-riddled face. Harry hadn't aged gracefully either from the looks of it. His scar exasperated over the years and his hair long and pulled back on a bun.

Aster had no idea of the tension that was in the room, but when she hugged Draco, she felt a parental bond with him. “Dad.” She said softly. Draco’s heart soared. “Yes baby…I’m your father,” he said and knelt down, his body aching as he did so but he wanted a good look at his daughter’s face. She looked mostly like him. Blonde. Grey-eyed. Beautiful. However, unlike him, Aster was bright eyed and innocent. “I’m your…daddy,” he said and hugged Aster close to him, making the child gasp a little. She asked, “why are you crying? I didn’t hurt you did I? I’m sorry.”

Draco pulled away but kept his hand on Aster's shoulder. There was a large smile on his face as he looked at his daughter before him. “Don’t be sorry,” he said, “you have nothing to be sorry about. I heard you go by Aster now.”

She nodded, but she heard Harry say, “her name is Lily and it will always be Lily.” Aster sharply turned her head to Harry, “stop calling me that. That’s not who I am.”

Draco stood up and looked at Harry with a rather upset face. The two men stood in silence for a moment before Draco took Aster by the hand, “come along Aster, tell me some more about yourself,” he said and led the girl to the couch and the two sat down.

Harry stared at the blondes all circled around them. His green eyes almost glowing behind his circular spectacles with jealousy. Yes he was guilty of falsely imprisoning Draco, but he knew he saw Draco. Now that he knew it was Lavender Brown with polyjuice potion who had done it. Harry winced mentally as he looked away, his hand was shaking a bit at the memory. Despite knowing the truth, he could remember clearly those grey eyes that peered down at him on that ungrateful day.

And seeing the Malfoys all grouped together made his stomach turn. He narrowed his eyes and saw the bright smile of his daughter. Harry’s short-lived jealously turned to guilt once more as he knew she didn’t know much of what had happened. He wanted to shelter her from some of the pain. Aster was talking up a storm of things that seemed to blur into noise and Draco politely nodded along, though there was a moment when Draco looked over and his eyes met Harry’s. It felt as though a semblance of love still resonated with each other them.

However, no matter how much love they held for each other, Draco could never forgive Harry for what he had done.


	22. Chapter 22: Family Reunion

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 22**

Aster and Draco bonded instantly. The two had a lot more in common than expected. The two had a love for snickerdoodle cookies and they both enjoyed green apples over red. The two were enjoying some sliced apples with peanut butter, along with some tea. Usually, Aster didn't like tea, but since moving to England, she had to adapt and learn to love it. The girl smiled so largely on her face that her cheeks covered her eyes and glowed a bright red color. The small laugh that she also had was a soft girlish giggle irritated Potter who sat across the room and watched the two blondes chat.

Harry watched with a grimace as he watched Aster and Draco talk in polite but also genuine conversation. It left a sour taste in his mouth. Though before he could say anything, Narcissa re-entered the room, carrying with her a massive photo album. The two looked over and Draco seemed embarrassed, "Mother, must you?"

"Yes, Draco! We need to add our newest addition to the family tree and now that we can take a few pictures of Aster and finally add it to the tree!" Narcissa spoke excitedly and opened the photo album. Unlike normal family trees, this one popped out and expanded to a large tree with many branches and faces popped up on the tree. However, there was a narrowing of the tree and there was a picture of Draco when he was younger. "Is that your photo?" Aster asked, pointing to Draco's photo, who was smirking and growing into his adult look before it looped to a baby Draco. Aster smiled, "ah! That's so cool! It's a gif!"

Narcissa and Draco raised an eyebrow and Harry couldn't help but hide a snicker as the Malfoys were confused. "No, it's not a gif," Harry said. "It's an enchanted photo,"

Narcissa leaned to Draco, "what's a gif?" Draco shrugged, having no idea.

Aster "oh" softly and looked up the tree and saw a picture of who she thought was herself. "Hey! Is that me?"

They looked and Narcissa laughed, "Oh no sweetie! That's me when I was around your age!" She said with some pride. Draco looked at Aster and said, "you do resemble your grandmother's side of the family."

"I do?!" Aster seemed really excited by that. Harry was biting his tongue and internally screaming. Having his children, both James and Aster, resemble the Malfoy side of the family hurt his ego a bit though he wouldn't admit it out loud. He had always imagined his daughter to resemble him, or at least have his eyes.

Aster looked over and saw Bellatrix's and Andromeda's photos, and followed that down to a girl named Nymphadora Tonks, and from her, a young man with changing hair in his photo. "Who's this?"

"That's your cousin Teddy," Harry said stepped in. "But he might as well be your older brother since I raised him."

"You did?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. "What about Aunt Andromeda?"

"She died a few years after you went to prison," Harry answered sharply and with some notable attitude. Draco glared at Harry, but he held his tongue as Aster was learning more about her family. Narcissa was explaining who everyone was and even asked, "who's that lady?"

It was an older woman, around Narcissa's age, and she had blonde hair pulled back in an old-style bun but her dress was vintage cream white. "That's my cousin Lesandra," she said. "She never had children, but she married a Selwyn. Very respectable for a pureblood lineage."

"Pureblood lineage?" Aster asked, not understanding the prejudices between the wizarding family.

"Yes dear. It wasn't that long ago when we had arranged marriages in our community. Though it seems that children will now try to make their own decisions and marry out of love which, to me, is a fool's folly," she said looking at Harry with daggers in her eyes. The subtext of the spite being thrown around the room was unnoticed by the girl, who only asked, "so were you and grandpa Lucius an arranged marriage then?"

"Yes darling, and through our union, your father, Draco, was born," she said with a smile and looked at Draco, reaching over and gave him a one-armed hug. With eleven years of Azkaban, he didn't even seem embarrassed by the hug. No. He had missed human contact, though he wouldn't lie and say he wasn't jumpy the first week after being released. Aster looked over at her father, "were you and Professor Potter an arranged marriage as well?"

"No," Harry and Draco said in unison. The two gave each other an awkward expression before Harry said, "we were not arranged. We were…" he stopped as he was unable to finish that statement. Draco continued, "we were in love."

Aster nodded, her smiling not fading for a millisecond, "well that's good! Falling in love is the better way to have babies, right? First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage." She chanted the childish in a sing-song way that unknowing diffused the tension that had been building up. Harry smiled softly, exhaustedly, "yes sweetheart, that's how it should be."

Narcissa sat up and held out a camera, "well Aster, let's not doddle much longer, let's take some pictures for the album," Narcissa said. Aster jumped up and the two headed for a wall, and as Narcissa was taking some photos with her enchanted camera, Draco and Harry stared at each other in bitter silence. Harry could feel the ache in his being resonate as he stared into Draco's grey eyes. Draco looked over hatefully at the man who singlehandedly ruined his life. Many times, he had regretted marrying, or even meeting Harry Potter, but then he thought about his son and he felt horrible for wishing those thoughts.

"How's James?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"He's fine," Harry answered with a growl.

"What? I can't ask about how our son is doing?" Draco asked. "I haven't seen him since he was a toddler."

"I said he's fine," Harry said defensively. "You'll see him around Christmas if he even wants to see you."

"If he wants to see me? I haven't done anything wrong! Why are you treating me like a criminal?" Draco asked.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are! I didn't do anything and you're being hostile!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "I knew bringing Lily here was a mistake," he said and stood up.

"She wants to go by Aster," Draco said. Harry's green eyes widened in anger and he turned to Draco. He was so angry that he felt like he wanted to smack Draco for even suggesting something like that. Harry looked over and saw Narcissa holding the camera, and Aster looking frightened. Harry sighed, trying to calm down, "I'm sorry, it's nothing," he said and tried to wave it off. "I want you to spend time with our kids Draco," he said and stood up.

Draco looked uneasy as well, and Aster walked over to Draco, sitting next to him, "thank you for using my name," she said gratefully. Draco smiled back, and Narcissa was quick to take some photos of the two of them. "Sorry! This is the first time we have a family photo of any kind with Aster!" The woman said. "If only James were here, we can do a complete family portrait!"

Aster paled, "James? As in James Potter?"

"Yes, he's your older brother," Harry said.

"Oh no! I knew this was all too-good-to-be-true!" Aster said. Narcissa and Draco raised an eyebrow and wondered what in the world Aster was talking about. "What? You don't like James?" Harry asked nervously, though he knew the reasons why.

"HE'S A MONSTER!" Aster exclaimed. "He's nothing but a bully who finally got what he deserved!"

Draco looked mortified, "what did he do?" He asked Harry.

"Nothing," Harry lied, trying to move past it. Aster wouldn't have it, "he bullied one of my best friends and removed her skirt, so everyone saw her undercarriage!" She stated. "He's a jerk!"

Draco sighed and groaned, Narcissa sighed as well, "well, I hope he knows not to do that again," Narcissa said. "But Aster, don't hate your brother because of one thing like that. He's your brother," Draco said. Aster looked away, "I don't hate him…I don't like him either since he's so mean."

Harry reached out and put a hand on Aster's shoulder, "I know what he did was wrong, and he's been punished for it," he said to Aster. "He doesn't even have his wand at the moment so he's harmless."

"YOU TOOK AWAY HIS WAND?!" Draco asked in anger.

* * *

James sat away from most of the Slytherins, though he still sat at the Slytherin table, just on the far end of it. He poked at his food, not eating. In fact, he hadn't eaten since the day his so-called sister was "found." The male hadn't heard from anyone in his family about two weeks and while he did nibble on crackers just because the hunger pains made his stomach ache painfully, he had no appetite.

James would look over at the other tables during his so-called meal times, and he would see Aster's friends get along with their days. Sometimes they would gather in bunches as they laugh about things that James had no idea to make of it. He wished he had friends like that.

Yes, he was angry, but it seemed as though no one noticed him. He felt cold all of the time and sometimes he wondered if he had died…and if he had died, why had no one mourned for him? He wasn't doing classwork, but he did go to class, sitting as far away as possible from the other students. He never realized how much he meant so little to people until that day where he exposed Vivien as trans. Was, he sorry for it? Yes, but not for the right reasons. He regretted the actions because he was now ostracized from everyone. Even his oldest friend and secret crush, Giles Zabini, was no longer speaking to him.

Two weeks of no food did its toll on James. He sometimes fainted, but he always made sure he was in an are where he could fall asleep like his bed, but sometimes he hadn't been lucky. A few days prior, he fainted in the restroom in one of the stalls, and no one found him in there. He woke next to the toilet as the sun had been setting, having been there all day.

James did write to someone, Teddy Lupin, his Godbrother. Though he never went into any detail of his struggles. Guys simply talk about their problems freely; they toughed it out. So, the letters were more about updates on how their little sister was finally found (Teddy considered James his little brother and he wouldn't discriminate Aster, so she was also his little sister), and that was when James stopped replying to letters in general. He was so sick and tired of hearing about Aster. He didn't care! He had spent his entire life with one parent in Azkaban thanks to her and the other who obsessed over looking for her that he was ignored by his own parent.

It wasn't until one day during breakfast when he got a letter with a seal on it with an 'M' on it. He looked closer to it, his eyesight was going blurry nowadays, and he recognized it as the Malfoy insignia. He practically ripped the envelope in half to get at the letter. He held the letter close to his face to read the words and he soon held a hand over his mouth to hold back the sudden lurch in his stomach.

It was from his father, Draco Malfoy.

This was the first thing that he had ever had of his father that he could remember. All the photos that had him had been shredded or hidden away so he never knew what he even looked like until he came to Hogwarts and saw some old photos of the Slytherin Quidditch Team.

_Dear James,_

_I can only imagine how much you've grown since the last time I saw you. You were almost two years old after all. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you growing up but I hope I can change it. I am your father James, and I want to be a part of your life if you allow me._

_I can't wait for the Holiday season so that I can see you in person._

_I heard you've been having a hard time and seem to like getting in trouble. You take after your Dad in that regard. I heard you were also sorted into Slytherin. Congratulations. I hope you know that I was in that house when I attended Hogwarts and my parents, and my entire family was sorted in that house. Like Father, Like Son._

_Please keep in touch James. I've missed you dearly._

_Love,_

_Your Father_

James was quick to start writing a response quickly. He used some of the pages in his notebook and began writing like crazy to his father, telling him about what his life had been like and what he was interested in and anything he could think off. He felt a spark in his being that he hadn't felt in a long time.

And it was the first time in weeks when he didn't hear the names "Aster Campbell" or "Lily Potter." James took the entire morning writing out the letter, writing over ten pages worth of letters and he rolled up the pages, holding them tightly with what looked like a hairband and gave it to the Eagle Owl that had delivered it.

The blonde male smiled for the first time in a while, and it wasn't the condescending smirk he always held, but a genuine smile. Well, it only lasted for a short while as he looked over and saw the Daily Prophet and saw on the first page a large photo of Aster, his mother Harry, and his father Draco standing in a group photo. The headline read in big thick letters; POTTER-MALFOY FAMILY REUNITED! The painful twisting in James' stomach felt as though someone had taken two large strings and were twisting them so tight in his abdomen. His vision was getting blurry, on and off, and James decided to go back to the dorms before he would explode in a blind rage.

Marigold was coming around the corner when she and James bumped into each other. The girl hadn't even looked at James since that day he revealed Vivien, and the girl was going through some things as well. She moved aside to let James pass, but she could see how angry he was. The red-haired girl was thankful he didn't have his wand, or else she may have been hexed due to how angry he looked.

She could swear that his eyes had turned a piercing green color as he glared at her.


	23. Chapter 23: Things Are Not Always What They Seem To Be

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 23**

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_After much consideration, we have decided to allow your child, Aster Campbell, back into our school and resume classes as normal. We will change the name of the girl after the proper paperwork is done and sent to us via owl mail._

_As for your teaching post, we will allow you to resume educating the rest of the term however once this school term is over, you will be removed from your position as a Hogwarts Professor._

_Signed, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

Harry read the letter to himself and while he was relieved Aster would be able to return to Hogwarts, he almost dreaded going back to Hogwarts to teach. It wasn't that he hated the job of being a professor, but he had developed a reputation of being a mean professor and now he didn't know how his students would react to him returning to the job. As he knew right now, one of the professors were teaching the older kids' classes and someone else teaching the younger kids. Him not being there was really putting an effect on the student's lessons. At the moment, Harry was wearing a dark red sweater, tight fitting with a black dress collar poking out around his neck along with khakis. It looked more like a professor in his current wear than he did when he was at Hogwarts as a professor.

Though now that was of little concern as he turned to Aster. The girl was in the living room, drawing something in a notebook he gave her. She was wearing a pink sweater with some faux pearls stitched in and some jeans and had on decorative socks that didn't seem to match. She scribbled someone on the page as she was on her knees, leaning over the coffee table, a smile plastered on her face. Ever since her visit with the Malfoys, Aster had smiling constantly. She actually felt something she didn't know she had needed, a familial connection, and know she had met her father and she didn't understand why, but she just felt happier having met him.

The raven-haired male made some hot cocoa, Mrs. Weasley's recipe, and approached the girl with two mugs. He looked over her shoulder to see what she was drawing. It looked like she was drawing a ballerina in some poses. "You're very talented," Harry commented softly. Aster's eyes widen and covered her drawing very childishly, "what?! No, it's not good!" Aster exclaimed, extremely flustered. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her cute outburst. "Do not think so lightly about yourself Lily," Harry said softly and sat down on the couch, in front of the coffee table and. "Here," the girl looked up and saw the mug. She reached up and slowly lowered it to the table, trying not to spill anything. The girl examined the cup quizzically and saw the white cream on the surface with chocolate shavings on top. It smelt heavenly but she knew if she took a sip now, she would burn her tongue. "Thank you, Professor," she said softly.

Harry winced a bit from the comment, but he held his smile, "Lily, you know you can call me Dad, right?" He asked.

Aster looked uneasy about that, "I...know...I just don't feel comfortable with that right now," she admitted with some hesitation. "And you can call me..." she looked up and saw his smile fade and she felt bad. "I'm sorry...I'm not comfortable with her name Lily. If you don't want to call me Aster, maybe we can compromise?" She offered. "I can have a nickname!"

Harry smile, "do you have any suggestions?" The man watched with amusement as the girl's eyes sparkled. "I wanna be Star! Like Star Butterfly!"

"Like...who?" Harry asked.

The dramatic gasp from Aster was loudly and like many children, she just couldn't believe that he didn't know who Star Butterfly was. "Star Butterfly! The Princess of Mewni! She has her own show! Star vs. The Forces of Evil!"

The girl grabbed her pen and began drawing her rendition of Star Butterfly, and it was a cute drawing of you were a five-year child, which Aster was not. "This is Star Butterfly!" She showed the drawing to Harry. "She has her own magic wand and she does amazing spells like Narwhal Blast! And Unicorn Stampede!" She said and sighs, "I miss TV. It's been so long since I watched anything on it." She sighed and slumped.

Harry only watched in confusion as the girl was acting...childish. He knew for a fact when he was her age, he wasn't like this. Yes, he got into trouble, but he certainly didn't overreact to dumb things like not watching the telly. Though he was abused by the Dursley's and he didn't have a normal childhood. Maybe Aster did? There was still so little he knew about her.

"Okay Star it is then," Harry said and looked closer at the drawing, "honestly I thought you were drawing yourself at first because she kinda looks like you," Harry spoke. Aster blushed and actually really liked that comment, "you think I look like Star Butterfly? Cause that would be so awesome! We are both blondes and I can always put hearts on my cheeks and..." the girl began to ramble on and while Harry couldn't keep up with her rambling nonsense, he was happy to see her so enthusiastic about something.

"So Star," he used the nickname but it did not settle right with him. "I received a letter from Hogwarts," he said. The girl's smile froze as she waited for the news. "and you can go back and resume classes!" He said with excitement. Aster jumped up and screamed, "YES!" She began dancing but not in the elegant way she had been taught, but the bad way anyone who was excitedly danced. She went over to Harry and gave him a big hug. "Thanks for telling me dad," she said. Harry wrapped his arms around Aster, holding back his tears of joy. "You welcome...Aster," he said and that felt better to say. Not as good as Lily, but it was better than saying Star.

It was at this moment that the forced connection he had tried to forge with his daughter felt natural. Aster soon let go and sat back down on the ground, slowly picking up the mug of hot cocoa and took a sip. The girl smiled with a cream mustache and some cream on the tip of her nose. "This is delicious Dad! Did you make this from scratch?" She asked. Harry nodded, "I did but the recipe is from Mrs. Weasley," He said. Aster didn't know who that was. "Who's that?"

Harry smiled, "she is like a mother to me ever since I was your age," he said. Aster thought for a moment, "she's your mom then?" Harry shook his head, "no. She didn't give birth to me, but she took care of me and looked out for me when no one else did. You will meet her around the Holidays. There is this Christmas Party thrown every year and James, Teddy, and I would go there to exchange gifts to our family."

Aster smiled, "that sounds like fun!"

"It is," Harry said. Curiosity got the better of him and he soon asked, "how did you celebrate the Holidays?"

Aster thought to herself for a moment and remembered last Christmas. "Well, last year we didn't do much. I got some new skates and I loved them, but the blades broke the third time I was on the ice," Aster said. "My mom had bought some used ones and was scammed because they were broken. I was really sad they couldn't be fixed," Aster said. "But other than that, I had a great Holiday with Mrs. Vogel. She was our neighbor and she would babysit me when mom had to work!"

Harry frowned as she kept referring to that monster who took her away from him as "Mom." It was time he fixed that. "Aster," he spoke calmly, "do you understand that your mom isn't your mom?" Aster was almost quick to defend but she couldn't. She looked ashamed and embarrassed, but mostly uneasy. "It's still hard to change that sir. I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know what else to call her. All I know was that she loved me and raised me like I was her daughter. She's always been, well, my mom."

"Well she isn't," Harry said sternly. "She stole you away from your real family! She caused more heartache than anyone could ever imagine possible! She's the reason your father was imprisoned because she used a potion to disguise herself as him and I was dumb enough to have thought that he could have actually hurt me!" He hadn't realized he had been yelling until he saw the scared look on his daughter's face. Harry pulled back and sighed, "I'm sorry for screaming Lily. I just hate that this happened at all."

Aster looked down and stood up, "I think I should go to bed now Professor Potter," She said. "Good night," she said as he turned away from him and began heading for the stairs and was soon climbing up them. Harry groaned, knowing he messed up. Just as he was making a breakthrough with her as well.

* * *

Narcissa was never the type to sit around and knit things, but she was the type to go out and do shopping. With the Holiday season nearby and the promise of being able to see her grandchildren around Christmas, the woman took to shopping things. Over eleven years' worth of missed birthdays and holidays.

Though when she returned from her shopping trip, she saw Lucius with a scold on his face and a glare in his eyes. "Hello dear, where is Draco?" She asked.

"He's enjoying time outside," Lucius answered. "Where have you been?"

"I just picked up a few things for the Holidays," she said. "Look! I found these amazing witch's robes and some lovely gowns for our granddaughter, and I even found some things James would like I'm sure," she said. However, the scold was not gone Lucius's face, in fact, it worsened. "How much did this shopping excursion cost?" He asked with a low tone in his voice.

"Not much," Narcissa said sternly. "A little more than I had planned but it'll be worth it when the kids open their gifts on Christmas Day," she said. "Bilby!" She called. The house elf was not much taller than a young child came over. "Yes, mistress!" He said with a bowed head. "Take these upstairs and put them in the closet, hanging up," she ordered. "Yes mistress," the house elf said, taking the bags and vanishing out of sight. Though owning a house elf was illegal, new laws stated that as long as the house elves were paid a good wage and were allowed to wear clothing, then they could work for a wizarding family. Narcissa looked at her husband, "and I used the money from my family vault. Not yours," she stated firmly.

"Narcissa, you know the financial burden our family is in because of Potter and now you want to waste even more of that money on some Holiday?" His voice was a low growl. Narcissa pulled away, "oh? And like you didn't just buy James that broomstick so he could play Quidditch? How is that any different?"

Lucius looked away when he heard the backdoor open and shut. "Mother? Are you back?" Draco walked in. He was wearing black robes and had a thick black blanket over his shoulders. The man hadn't been outside in a long time, so he wanted to sit out and enjoy the fresh air and the autumn scenery. Eleven years ago, he wouldn't have thought twice to do such a thing, having taken it for granted. Narcissa smile and walked past her husband, "yes Draco. I bought some of the most beautiful dresses for Aster and some very handsome clothing for James. I'm sure they'll love them," she said. "I even bought you some new clothing as well since you don't seem to fit your old clothing."

"You didn't need to do that mother," Draco said as he was led to the living room. "Nonsense, my son will not stroll around Diagon Alley with decade's old clothing!" She stated her materialistic side showing. "I don't think I'll be showing my face near Diagon Alley any time soon," he said.

"Nonsense, once you build up some meat on your bones, you'll be out and about in no time," Narcissa stated. Azkaban had really done a number on Draco. Skin and bones, that was what he was when he had been released. Hidden beneath his curtain of long platinum blonde locks was a skeletal face with sharp cheekbones and pale skin as white as paper. Lucius looked rather uneasy as the man was being coddled by his mother. He was glad to have his son back, but babying him wasn't doing him any favors, not to mention some hidden things.

"Draco, when are going to get a job?" Lucius asked directly.

That surprised Draco as well as his mother. "Lucius! He hasn't even been out of Azkaban for three weeks! My word!"

"Soon," Draco replied. "I don't like being cooped in his Manor all day," he said. Before his arrest, Draco didn't have a job, but that was because he was the stay-at-home parent when Harry wasn't pregnant. Both of them had excessive wealth so they were more than comfortable to not work. Harry being an Auror was more of a dream job since the man could barely stay down for long. When Harry and Draco were trying for children, Draco have tried to get pregnant, he didn't mind, but the potions just didn't seem to work. Harry had tried with the potions and instantly he was pregnant with James not even a month later. When Harry returned to work, Draco would stay at home and take care of James and Teddy (whenever he visited). "I might not be able to get a ministry job, but I'll find work. I'm getting antsy being stuff in one place for a long time."

"That's understandable," Narcissa said. "You, however, take your time, there is no rush for you to seek out employment," she turned to Lucius, staring daggers at him. The man scolded as he stood, but he soon walked away, and the familiar loud slam of a particular door meant he was in his study. Draco smiled a bit, "I can't believe that I had actually missed that sound."

"It'll get old, trust me," Narcissa said and stood up, "do you want anything in particular for dinner dear?"

"Actually, I'll go make dinner," Draco stood up, dropping his blanket, "like I said, I'm tired of just sitting around." He said. Draco was surprisingly an amazing cook, though he had years of practice when he and Harry were living together, and Harry couldn't seem to cook anything without burning down the house. He walked to the kitchen and soon began getting some meat that was in the fridge, "beef stew sounds nice, and it's perfect weather for it," he said as he soon began to get to cooking.

Draco watched the meat shimmer over the stove with the glass lid over it, and for a moment he looked over at the window, seeing the gray autumn sky and the winds pick up. "Winter is coming sooner than expected," he spoke to himself. Draco smiled to himself, happy to know that he would soon see his children again soon.

* * *

Harry and Aster arrived back to Hogwarts one November evening, just in time for dinner. Aster had her bags and Wednesday in her carrier. She looked at the raven-haired man, things still feeling awkward between the two. Harry offered to help her take her luggage to her dorm, but they were soon cut off by two screaming girls. "Aster!" Vivien exclaimed in excitement. "Aster! You're back!" Lottie joined in and the two girls ran over. Aster dropped her bags and Wendy's carrier carefully on the ground before she ran over and the three girls joined in a group hug, all squealing in excitement at being reunited. The two male friends came over and while they didn't give Aster a hug, they welcomed her back with smiles and talked as if nothing had changed. Aster went back and grabbed her bags before the group all walked away from Harry, laughing and all welcomed Aster back to Hogwarts with open arms.

"She's happy to be back," It was Headmistress McGonagall, who had walked from behind and saw the group of kids heading toward the Hufflepuff dorms. Harry turned and nodded, "yeah. She was more excited about seeing them than about anything else," Harry said. McGonagall could see through him and saw the pain he was going through. Harry tried to laugh it off, "I think she's a lot like me! Especially when she's around her friends don't you think?" The woman walked next to him and saw the kids rounded the corner, "no Harry, she's not like you," McGonagall stated. "And that's a good thing because she's her own person, not a clone of you or Draco, or even her brother," she stated. "You were not like your father except in appearance, not in personality," McGonagall clarified. "If we keep comparing children to their parents, they grow up under this ideal that they're supposed to be like them."

Harry looked over at the elder witch, "I just want something a part of me with her."

"You can be there for her now," McGonagall stated obviously. "Even if she can't understand it now, you're her parent and you know first-hand of how powerful a parent's love is."

"I haven't been much of a parent lately," Harry admitted.

McGonagall merely shook her head, "So be one now. It's never too late," she walked away from him, heading to the Great Hall, but she stopped and said, "oh…and before I forget, you have to have the students ready for their midterms in the upcoming weeks before break," she reminded him. Harry smiled, "thank you, Professor," he said, and McGonagall smirked, having not heard that title in years.

He soon walked in the great hall as well, seemingly enjoying himself for the moment.

Somewhere, hidden not too far away, a woman with wild hair pulled up a photo of a girl with loose blonde curls and grey eyes with a bright smile and who couldn't have been older than five years old. She was in a yellow pullover shirt with pink shorts. The woman holding the photo was a wild-haired Lavender Brown who stared menacingly at the Hogwarts Castle.

"She's _mine._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of Shooting Star. Thank you all for reading!
> 
> This story may be continued in a sequel but I highly encourage anyone who reads this to please check out the Tumblr page @askdaddydraco and @the-star-child-universe 
> 
> If I do write down a sequel, it will be more from the adult's perspective as I just wanted to introduce the OCs and the character dynamics at the moment.


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